ISLAMABAD, May 5: Six of a family died and two sustained injuries on Friday when their house in Momin Pi Groung, Kharmang Valley, 69 kilometres off here, collapsed in unprecedented snowfall and rains that began on Thursday.

Sources on Sunday said these natural calamities played havoc in Gilgit-Baltistan, officially known as Northern Areas, and also injured several others, killed many cattle heads, damaged houses, crops and fruit trees in Ghanche district.

The dead were identified as Ms Ruqia, 16, daughter of Akhond Mohammad Ismail; Baqir, 13, son of Haji Ali Mir; Ms Habiba, 15, daughter of Haji Ali Mir; Ms Fatima, 19, wife of Mohammad Yonus; Zahida, 1, daughter of Mohammad Yonus and Ms Fatima, 21, daughter of Mohammad Raza.

While the two injured— Zahra, wife of Mohammad Raza, and Mehdi Ali, son of Mohammad Raza— were taken to Tolti Hospital. They are stated to be out of danger.

In the prevailing situation all flights to and from the Northern Areas have been suspended since Thursday.

The rains and snowfall also caused avalanches, landslides and boulders at different locations of the Karakoram Highway — on Gilgit-Skardu, Gilgit-Hunza, Gilgit-Astore, Skardu-Khaplu and Skardu-Deosai roads — cutting off all the land links to the region, which has created a shortage of commodities, the sources said.

Several people owing to road blockades have stranded at various places on the Karakoram Highway in the last four days. The snowfall, which is an unprecedented phenomenon in May, and torrential rains have destroyed a number of houses and crops in all the five district of the region.