GILGIT, July 15: Lightning and torrential rains in a village of Haramoush, 60km south of Gilgit, damaged at least 50 huts on Wednesday night. However, no loss of life was reported. A villager, Sher Mohammad, in Haramoush said that the lightning and rains also damaged over a thousand fruit trees, eroded 500 kanals of land, blocked link roads and water channels due to which life in their village was badly affected.

A member, Northern Areas Legislative Council, Aftab Haider Advocate told Dawn that the floods and lightning had wreaked havoc in his constituency (NA-III) of Gilgit and the village in Haramoush was not the only one that had been flooded.

He said the floods had damaged the Karakoram Highway, near Guru, at two points on Thursday due to which traffic between Gilgit and Hunza-Nagar remained suspended for many hours.

Mr Haider demanded immediate relief and compensation for the affected villages.

In Gilgit, where the rising water level showed no respite for the third day, an emergency has been declared in the lower areas along the River Gilgit.