Astore: Villagers ran for safer places as their houses were flooded after a glacier collapsed in Diamir area of Chilas, according to a report on Saturday. The outburst flood inundated houses in Pehpat village of Tangeer Valley after the glacier in Geechhar Lake caved in, triggering exodus locals on their own.

The worried villagers have appealed to the administration to send help. There is a grave threat that more glaciers will collapse. They urged the government to take pre-emptive action by taking immediate steps and survey the region. The heavy flooding due to monsoon rains in May 2022 had also caused widespread devastation if Diamir Sub-Division of Tangeer Valley.

In May 2022, Hunza Valley’s Hassanabad Bridge on the Karakoram Highway had been destroyed and swept away by a glacial lake outburst flood from the Shishper Glacier. Video footage shared on social media showed rampaging floodwaters tearing and sweeping away a section of the bridge. Officials had said that the glacier had started melting due to heat and had caused a flood that damaged the bridge and rendered it unusable for traffic.