MANSEHRA: Tourists and passengers stranded in the Soach area of Kaghan valley due to heavy landslides resumed their journeys to destinations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and other parts of the country after the district administration cleared the affected section of the road and restored traffic.
“It was a major landslide as debris detached from the roadside mountains and rolled onto the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road, blocking it to traffic. However, after several hours of effort, we managed to clear it for the traffic,” Hasrat Khan, the assistant commissioner of Balakot, told reporters on Saturday.
A large number of tourists and passengers travelling within Kaghan valley and between KP and GB remained stranded in the Soach area, prompting the district administration to move machinery to the site to clear the road.
Kaghan valley, which, according to the KP government, received a record influx of visitors during the Eid holidays and surpassed all other tourist destinations in the province in terms of arrivals, witnessed traffic disruption following the landslides.
“Thanks to Allah Almighty, no loss of life was reported as no vehicle was passing through that section of the road at the moment the landslide struck,” the official said.
He added that on the special directives of the deputy commissioner Mansehra, the additional assistant commissioner (Revenue), along with the traffic inspector, rushed to the scene and supervised the clearance of the landslide, which had brought down huge boulders and rocks.
“We have been adopting all possible measures to ensure a safe journey for tourists and passengers travelling within the valley and between KP and GB via the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road, which connects both federating units via Kaghan valley,” Khan said.
The official added that tourists should also remain cautious while travelling through the hilly parts of Kaghan valley and the rest of their journey, and should avoid going close to streams, riversides and hollow snow glaciers.
