GILGIT: Traffic on the Chipurson Valley road, located near the Pakistan-China border close to the Khunjerab Pass, has been restored while government departments, non-governmental organisations, and community groups have dispatched relief items to people affected by the recent quake in the remote valley of Gojal in Upper Hunza.

Local residents and political leaders have urged the government to declare Chipurson a calamity-hit area and provide immediate assistance to the affected population.

On the instructions of Gilgit-Baltistan caretaker chief minister retired Justice Yar Muhammad, the GB Disaster Management Authority sent tents, food packs, kerosene heaters, blankets, warm clothes, and shawls to the affected communities. The link road to Chipurson, which had been blocked at several points, was reopened on an emergency basis.

A 5.8-magnitude earthquake jolted Gilgit-Baltistan on Monday, killing one person, injuring four others, and damaging dozens of houses, cattle sheds, and public and private infrastructure. Rescue 1122 reported that Chipurson Valley was the worst-affected area.

Hunza Deputy Commissioner Nizamuddin told Dawn that road access had been blocked and large cracks had appeared in homes, roads, and water channels supplying power houses. NGOs and community organisations from Karimabad, Gulmit, and nearby areas have launched relief campaigns, collecting firewood, food, and tents.

Local residents said over 200 families were forced to live in tents amid sub-zero temperatures, making survival especially difficult for children, elderly people, women, and patients.

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2026