GILGIT: The Karakoram Highway (KKH) in Gilgit-Baltistan’s (GB) Chanas area was blocked by a large rockfall on Tuesday, leaving thousands stranded, according to a local official.

Nagar district Deputy Commissioner Asghar Khan told Dawn that the rockfall occurred in the early hours of Tuesday. He advised travellers and tourists to avoid the area until confirmation about the status of the KKH was received.

“The [rock] slide occurred around Fajr time in the boundary area between the Nagar and Gilgit districts,” Khan said. “We immediately informed the FWO (Frontier Works Organisation), and they arrived with machinery.”

Khan added that the boulders blocking the road were very large and would require blasting to clear.

Nobody was hurt in the rock slide, but access to the Hunza and Nagar districts was cut off, leaving thousands of students, patients, and tourists stranded for eight hours. A long queue of vehicles formed on both sides of the road.

Some people walked across the debris and changed vehicles after reaching the other side of the blockage.

Khan said that work to clear the blocked stretch of the KKH was underway and that he expects the road to be reopened for traffic by 11am on Wednesday.

The KKH is no stranger to rockfalls, landslides or other natural events that block the road.

Earlier in July, thousands of people, including foreign tourists, were stranded at multiple locations in Gilgit-Baltistan due to blocked roads, including the Karakoram Highway (KKH), due to landslides.