GILGIT, Jan 16: Intermittent rain and snowfall cut off the Northern Areas from rest of the country on Wednesday.

The rain and snowfall, which have been continuing for three days, disrupted both aerial and surface communication links of the region with other parts of the country.

The Karakoram Highway remained blocked at two points due to landslides. PIA flight operations have remained suspended for the last three days.

Frontier Works Organization sources told APP that a heavy landslide had hit the road at point 997 (Kohistan) on Tuesday evening, bringing all kinds of vehicular traffic between Northern Areas and Rawalpindi to a complete halt, while the fall of a heavy boulder disrupted traffic between China and Pakistan at point 797 at the Khunjarab pass.

Sources said hectic efforts were under way to restore traffic between Rawalpindi and Gilgit and that the highway was likely to be cleared on Wednesday night. They said work to clear the road at point 797 could not be initiated because of snowfall at Khunjarab.

Meanwhile, snow fell on Astore, Gojal, Hunza, Phyarider, Yasin, Gupis, Khaplu and other remote parts of the Northern Areas. In Gilgit heavy fog covered the hilltops and the mountain tops received snowfall.

The snowfall increased cold in the area. The minimum temperature recorded by the district Met office was minus 0.0 degree Centigrade.