KHAPLU: A mudslide in northern Pakistan on Monday swept over a group of villagers attempting to fix a water channel damaged in recent monsoon rains, killing seven people, officials said.
More than 300 people have been killed across the country since the monsoon season began on June 26, the National Disaster Management Authority said.
Volunteers had been working through the night in the northern city of Danyor, in mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan, to fix a man-made water channel when part of the group was buried under a mudslide, the region’s disaster agency said.
Seven bodies were recovered, the agency added in an incident report.
“It was a self-help initiative taken by the villagers as they depend mostly on these water channels,” local journalist Shireen Karim told AFP.
“They mostly work during the night because of the hot weather during the day.”
The four water channels — made of stone or mud to bring fresh water for drinking and agriculture downstream — were damaged in flash floods in July.
The volunteers had already completed work on two channels.