A group of nomads trekking through the mountains in northern Pakistan with their herds has been hit by an avalanche. At least 11 people were killed, including a 4-year-old boy. Another 25 people were injured, the country’s disaster relief agency announced on Saturday.
The nomad tribe was trekking through Shounter Top Pass, a highly mountainous area in northern Pakistan, when it was caught by the avalanche early Saturday morning. The pass, which is located at 4,420 meters above sea level, connects the Astore district of the Gilgit-Baltistan region with the adjacent Kashmir valley.
Severe weather conditions complicated the rescue operation and access to the remote location. Two military helicopters were deployed for the rescue operation. All bodies of the victims have now been recovered, the disaster response announced. The injured have been taken to a local hospital. Some are in critical condition.
In the summer, the nomads move herds of goats from the plains of the Punjab to the high grasslands in the Kashmir Valley and then on to neighboring Gilgit Baltistan through the Shounter Pass. “We are seeing more and more incidents like this in Pakistan because of the impacts of climate change,” Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a statement.
Pakistan, which has experienced record monsoon rains and melting glaciers in the northern mountains in recent years, is among the top 10 countries at risk of natural disasters due to climate change. Sharif called on the international community to assume its responsibility to protect developing countries facing economic challenges from the adverse effects of climate change.
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