Rescue teams retrieved the bodies of five tourists who were swept away by flash floods triggered by a cloudburst at Babusar Top in Gilgit-Baltistan, ARY News reported on Tuesday. The floods, caused by torrential rains in Chilas, swept away more than 15 tourist vehicles, according to ARY News. While five bodies have been recovered and four people rescued so far, the search operation for the remaining missing tourists is still underway.

Spokesperson for the Gilgit-Baltistan government, Faizullah Faraq, confirmed that efforts to locate those missing continue. He noted that rescue activities were hampered due to nightfall, ARY News reported. Authorities and local residents have jointly rescued over 200 stranded tourists. Residents of Thak Babusar have provided shelter to more than 100 individuals in their homes, ARY News stated.

Additionally, all hotels and guesthouses in the city have been made available free of charge to tourists as part of the emergency response. In the Diamer region, about 20 locations on the Babusar Road and Silk Route have been rendered impassable due to flood damage. Authorities reported that approximately eight kilometres of road infrastructure has been severely affected.