MANSEHRA: Monsoon rains wreaked havoc in Balakot tehsil on Tuesday as a mudslide swept away a woman and her over two dozen cattle, and landslides blocked a major road, stranding hundreds of passengers.

Hundreds of commuters, including tourists, travelling between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan remained stranded for hours as landslides blocked the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road to traffic in Dum Duma area.

The rain, which started early in the morning, continued intermittently till evening, damaging roads and mud houses in remote parts of Kaghan valley.

The deceased woman was identified as Resham Jan. Locals were busy searching for her body.

“We have cleared the main road to traffic after hectic efforts of several hours using heavy machinery, and tourists and passengers left for their destinations,” Asad Shehzad, assistant director, Kaghan Development Authority, told reporters.

He said landslides blocked the major road to traffic at about 11am. However, the road was cleared at about 5.30pm.

He said that people travelling between KP and GB remained stranded in long queues of vehicles on both sides of the artery.

Mr Shehzad urged motorists to drive carefully in hilly areas.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2022