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A lake formed by a mudslide in Gilgit Baltistan threatens catastrophic floods in Ghizer, Gilgit, Astore and Diamer, with officials urging high alert as monsoon deaths reach 785.
Villagers wade through flooded water following heavy rains in Ehsan Pur village, Kot Addu district of Punjab province in Pakistan on August 21, 2025. (AFP)
Officials on Saturday warned that a 7-km (4-mile) lake in northern Pakistan, formed by a mountain mudslide, poses a risk of bursting and triggering potentially “catastrophic” floods downstream.
The mud flow descended into the main Ghizer River channel and blocked it completely on Friday, creating the lake in Gilgit Baltistan province, the National Disaster Management Authority said.
The obstruction has formed a “dam-like structure” that carries a serious risk of bursting, according to a situation report from the provincial office.
Zakir Hussain, director general of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, said that the new lake “can cause a catastrophic flood”.
Four downstream districts – Ghizer, Gilgit, Astore and Diamer – face a serious threat, he told Reuters.
Ghizer lies to the north of Pakistan’s mountainous districts in the northwest, where floods caused by this year’s heaviest monsoon rains and cloudbursts have claimed nearly 400 lives since August 15.
A video shared by the national authority on a WhatsApp group where it issues statements shows black mud sliding down the mountain before landing in the river. Reuters could not independently verify the video, which an official at the authority said was shot by residents.
Provincial government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq said additional mudflows had poured into the river from various mountain slopes.
He said a shepherd on higher ground was the first to notice the mudflow surging down and immediately alerted villagers and local authorities. Thanks to his warning, nearly 200 people living in dozens of scattered houses along the mountainsides and riverbanks were rescued.
The lake has started discharging water, meaning the threat of a burst is receding, but flash floods in downstream districts cannot be ruled out until the lake is completely cleared, Faraq said.
He said downstream communities have been instructed to remain on high alert and evacuate areas close to the river.
Floods across Pakistan have killed 785 people since the monsoon started in late June, the national authority said, warning of two more rain spells by September 10.
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