GILGIT: Flash floods and landslides triggered by monsoon rains blocked the Karakoram Highway at three points and the road linking Gilgit-Baltistan with Chitral, besides causing damage to houses, farmland and bridges in several districts.

Police said nullahs and streams in Diamer, Ghizer, Ghanche, Hunza and Nagar districts were in floods, damaging ten houses, bridges and agriculture land. Landslides in Hakis valley blocked Ghizer-Gilgit-Chitral road.

Floods also damaged seven houses and a bridge, and destroyed cattle pens in Faizabad village. Police said floodwater entered Ashkomen power house in Ghizer, suspending electricity supply to the area.

Flash floods in Gupis and Yaseen damaged agriculture land, trees and communication infrastructure.

According to reports, several nullahs in Ghanche district were in high floods.

Due to blockade of roads access of upper parts of Hunza to rest of the country remained cut off. Damage to bridges severed road link to Chipursan valley, Khyber village and Ghalapan. A portion of the KKH near Mir Skord was damaged by flash floods, blocking vehicular traffic.

In Ayeenabad locality of Shishkat, machinery and equipment worth millions of rupees were washed away in flash floods caused by swollen Burudubar stream. The machinery belonged to a Chinese company busy in construction of a bridge.

Electricity pylons were also knocked down by the falling rock at several locations, suspending electricity supply.

CULTURAL FESTIVAL: The Gilgit-Baltistan tourism department on Wednesday announced to organise a three-day cultural festival on Deosai plains from Aug 21 to 23.

An official of the tourism department told Dawn a decision to this effect was taken at a meeting on Wednesday chaired by Chief Minister Hafeezul Rahman. Secretary tourism department Syed Hadi and other relevant officials were in attendance, according to a press release.

The tourism department officials briefed the chief minister about the cultural festival and said it would feature events like polo matches, car and motorcycle races, marathon race, skiing, parachute, tag-of-war competitions and other traditional games.-Correspondent