5 Jan, 2010, Gilgit, Pakistan

About 10 people have died in the landslide triggered by the snowstorms in Pakistan’s northern region of Gilgit. The Rescue workers believe that more than a dozen people are buried in rubble after the landslide in the Hunza area. The landslide also wiped out at Atabad which is a small village of more than 25 houses.

The Officials say that they have asked the residents of a neighboring village to evacuate because of some fears about flooding of the Hunza River. Much of the rubble from the landslide in Atabad has fallen into the river and blocked its passage.

They said if the blockage is not cleared in a couple of days, the river may overflow and threaten several low- lying villages.

The landslide has also damaged a portion of the Karakoram highway that connects Pakistan with China, bringing traffic on the road to a halt. The Officials in Hunza has said that the snowfall on Tuesday morning had hindered rescue work by the local people as well as the police. The police official said that the boulders had been rolling down the mountain in the area for more than two years, but there were no casualties and the villagers did not heed this warning.