GILGIT, Oct 12: The police chief of Northern Areas has said there was no terrorist hand in the collapse of the Gilgit bridge on Karakoram Highway.

“We have examined it from various angles and found no clue that could make us think that the collapse was a result of some terrorist activity,” Inspector General of Police Khurshid Alam told this correspondent.

He said the site had been examined repeatedly by experts of National Highway Authority (NHA), Chinese engineers and intelligence agencies but nothing was found that would make any team feel that it was the work of terrorists.

He said during an operation, the police impounded a number of non-duty paid vehicles which would be returned to the owners after their registration with the police.

He said traffic police were being revamped and strengthened and the personnel were provided with facilities, so that they could perform in a more professional way.

Snowfall: Intermittent rains in Gilgit, Skardu, Astor, Ghizer and Hunza have turned the weather cold. Snowfall on the mountain peaks indicates the herald of a severe cold season during which the residents would experience freezing temperatures.

The temperature would sharply go down below 17 degrees Celcius in parts of the region sending prices of fuel skyrocketing.

Normally, winter begins in the region in the first week of November but the rains have caused the chilly weather a couple of weeks earlier this year.— A Corresponent