Mountaineer missing after Swat peak GLOF

A search operation was underway on Saturday to trace a mountaineering guide who went missing after a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) affected seven people trekking Falak Sar Peak in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's Swat district, Rescue 1122 said. "Swat's legendary mountaineer Mian Syed Ali Shah was climbing Falak Sar Peak when his safety rope snapped, causing him to fall from the summit. He has since gone missing, and a search operation is underway to find him," Swat Rescue 1122 District Emergency Officer Syed Shoaib Mansoor told The Express Tribune. He said the mountaineer went missing in the Matiltan area located in Upper Swat at around 7pm last evening. "Six expedition members have been rescued by the service," he added. Mansoor further said that of the six rescued trekkers, Swat Rescue 1122 medical teams moved three injured people from the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Kalam to Central Hospital Saidu Sharif in Swat. According to Rescue 1122, the injured were identified as Hawar Hussain, 40, Haris, 22, and Haroon, 27, all residents of Rawalpindi. The rescue officer also said that the remaining three people affected by the glacier burst were safe. He said that the incident took place in an "extremely remote and difficult-to-access area", which was hampering the search operation. Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued nationwide alerts for flash floods, urban flooding and landslides from July 18 to 23 in several parts of the country, including Gilgit Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Islamabad and north eastern Balochistan. Authority urges citizens to avoid unnecessary travel and take precautionary measures, according to an advisory issued by its National Emergencies Operation Centre (NEOC) on Saturday. The NEOC said the prevailing weather conditions are in line with its earlier forecast and it is continuously monitoring potential hazards while ensuring the timely dissemination of information to all relevant authorities. Heavy rainfall may trigger flash floods in local streams, seasonal waterways and mountainous regions. Medium to high level flooding is expected in rivers and streams across Gilgit Baltistan. In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, upper and central districts face the risk of flash floods and surging flows in hill torrents and seasonal streams. The NDMA has also issued a landslide alert for Azad Jammu and Kashmir from July 19 to 24.Continuous rainfall may trigger landslides in Neelum, Haveli, Poonch, Muzaffarabad and Bagh districts. Moderate risks also exist in the hilly areas of Kotli, Sudhnoti, Mirpur and Bhimber.Roads in Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Kahuta and Bhimber may be affected by falling debris and landslides, disrupting traffic movement.The authority warned that water levels may rise significantly in the Neelum, Jhelum and Poonch rivers and their tributaries in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Separately, NDMA has issued flood alerts for Punjab and north eastern Balochistan from July 17 to 23. Heavy rains may cause flash floods in seasonal streams and hill torrents across both regions.

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