On 17th of July, at around 6 pm, a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood started oozing out of the remote Badswat Glacier, 65 kilometers north of Gahkuch, the district Headquarters of Ghizer District.
Powerful and roaring waves of muddy water, carrying large and small boulders, ran down the valley, destroying everything in their path.
The flood debris running down the slope hit the mountain on the opposite side, and formed a barrier, blocking the gorge through which the Kurumbar River has been flowing for centuries.
Blocked by the GLOF debris, the Kurumbar river started swelling. As the water level increased in the newly dammed river, the nearby areas were flooded. The destruction continued for several hours, until the water reached the top of the barrier and started flowing again, in smaller volumes.
Meanwhile, the flood from the glacier continued coming out, after short intervals, causing more destruction, and increasing the water level in the artificial lake.
The worst hit villages were Badswat and Bilhanz, where dozens of houses were submerged, forcing the locals to take shelter in the nearby mountains and hills.
