Qalandari1
Banned
GILGIT: At least 400 villagers stranded in Deosai Plains after heavy rains and snow wreaked havoc in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) have been rescued.
The recent torrential downpour killed 11 people in G-B. The rains were followed by snowfall which severely damaged roads in the area on Friday, leaving people stranded on one of the highest plateaus in the world, the Deosai Plains.
“According to the Astore district administration, 252 villagers, including over 100 children, and their cattle were shifted to safer places on Saturday,” said information department deputy director Farooq Ahmed on Sunday. The rescue operation was launched by the administration with the assistance from Pakistan Army.
Over 140 villagers who went missing a day earlier were located on Sunday and are being shifted safely to Chilam, said Ahmed, referring to information released by Deputy Commissioner Tariq Khan.
Of the rescued people, five suffered frostbite, he added. They have been admitted to District Headquarters Hospital, Astore.
“Over 5,000 heads of cattle have also been relocated with the villagers,” Ahmed told The Express Tribune.
“Villagers settled around Deosai are poor and live in traditional abodes, which unlike modern houses are vulnerable to torrents and hailstorms,” said the deputy director.
Meanwhile, reports reaching Gilgit suggest more than 25 houses have been damaged by landslides in Rondu. The avalanches also destroyed barns, killing livestock. G-B Chief Minister Mehdi Shah expressed grief over the losses caused by rains in G-B, and assured aggrieved families of financial assistance.
In his meeting with Minister for Works Bashir Ahmed and opposition leader Janbaz Khan, the CM asked the disaster management authority to initiate rescue and relief operation in the affected valleys.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/759337/around-400-marooned-villagers-rescued-from-deosai-plains/
