Pakistan lake formed by mountain mudslide threatens 'catastrophic' floods

23/8/2025 17:05

A 7-km (4-mile) lake in northern Pakistan, created by a mountain mudslide, is threatening to burst and unleash potentially "catastrophic" floods downstream, officials warned on Saturday.



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 blockage created a "dam-like structure" that poses a significant threat of bursting, it said in a situation report by its provincial office.



The new lake "can cause a catastrophic flood", said Zakir Hussain, director general of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority.



Four downstream districts - Ghizer, Gilgit, Astore and Diamer - face a serious threat, he told Reuters.



Ghizer is north of the mountain districts in northwest Pakistan where floods triggered by the worst of this year's monsoon rains and cloudbursts have killed nearly 400 people since August 15.