(ORDO NEWS) — The Hassanabad Bridge at Hunza on the Karakoram Highway connecting Pakistan and China was destroyed and swept away by the Glacial Lake Outburst (GLOF) from the Shishpur Glacier on Saturday.
The Gilgit-Baltistan Tourist Police confirmed the event, adding that traffic had been diverted to an alternative route along the Sas Valley Road.
Hunza Police Superintendent (SP) Zahoor Ahmed said the glacier began to melt on Saturday due to the heat and caused flooding that damaged the bridge and made it unusable.
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He said the tourists are having difficulty and have been given alternative routes through Ganish and Murtazabad. He added that tourist police have also been assigned to various locations to prevent any inconvenience to tourists.
The policeman said that families living near the zero have been relocated to safer places, and the entire administration, including the police and rescue services, has been put on alert due to the emergency.
Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Secretary Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani said the National Highway Administration (NHA) and the Border Works Organization had assured him that the bridge would be repaired as a matter of urgency.
The Chief Secretary also instructed GB Interior Minister Iqbal Hussain, the Gilgit Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioners of the respective districts to take urgent action to restore the Hassanabad Bridge and eliminate the inconvenience caused to passengers.
Tourists are also being provided with provisions and fuel, and affected families are receiving rehabilitation and rations, according to information from the office of the chief secretary.
They added that two power plants in Hassanabad were also swept away by the flood.
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