Massive Bridge Between Pakistan And China Collapses Due To Heatwave, Footage Goes Viral

Pakistan and neighboring India have been sweltering amid an intense heatwave that has led to weeks of dangerous air quality and rampaging wildfires. Now, the early-season heat is to blame for causing the rapid melt of the Shishper Glacier in northern Pakistan, which led to destructive flooding downstream.

As a result of which, the Hassanabad Bridge in Pakistan's Hunza Valley was completely destroyed on Saturday as the melting glacier sent torrents of water coursing through area streams in a phenomenon known as a glacial lake outburst flood.

Destroyed bridge cut connection between Pak and China

Dramatic footage showed concrete blocks crumbling and eventually giving way under the punishing pressure of the raging floodwaters. Observers might typically associate such scenes with extremely heavy rainfall rather than the impacts of rapidly melting glaciers.

The destroyed bridge cut the connection between northern Pakistan and China on the Karakoram Highway, a popular tourist attraction famed for being one of the highest paved roads in the world.

This is #climatechange.

The main bridge connecting Pakistan and China got washed away yesterday due to the outburst of Shishper glacier. Extreme heat in the region is provoking fast glaciers melting and the floods are destroying houses and land.pic.twitter.com/2nMBJJWyHk

¡ª Mariana Casta?o Cano ? (@Mariana_Castano) May 8, 2022

Heatwave triggered floods

A snapshot of Hunza's Hassanabad bridge in the process of collapsing as floodwaters raged underneath. Local law enforcement confirmed the developments of the destroyed bridge on Twitter, stating that small vehicles were being diverted to Sas Valley Road.

The floodwaters also swept away two power plants in Hassanabad, according to Dawn.com, a Pakistani news outlet. Officials were evacuating individuals living in vulnerable locations near the floodwaters and supplying provisions.

Reuters

NASA warned of a severe flood

In mid-May 2019, NASA highlighted the Shishper Glacier, predicting that the Karakoram Highway, large numbers of homes in the village of Hasanabad, important irrigation channels and two power plants could all be affected in the event of a severe flood.

Over the past 20 days, the water volume at the Shishper glacier lake increased by 40% as a result of an unusual early-season spike in temperatures, Reuters reported.

Although official weather observations are sparse in this particular part of the country, temperatures at other high-elevation sites in northern Pakistan have repeatedly hit the upper 80s and 90s F (30-37 C) over the past couple of weeks. Farther south at lower elevations, temperatures have repeatedly eclipsed 110 F (43 C), which is on the order of 5-10 degrees Fahrenheit (3-6 degrees Celsius) above average.

Heatwave triggered Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) in Gilgit Baltistan destroying agricultural land, the Hassan Abad bridge & sweeping houses along. Pakistan meteorological department forecasts more GLOF events in the norther areas particularly in Chitral. #ClimateChange pic.twitter.com/O56NHKCMI7

¡ª Iftikhar Firdous (@IftikharFirdous) May 7, 2022

No relief is in sight for the foreseeable future across the region

Pakistan's Federal Minister for Climate Change, Sherry Rehman, said on Twitter following the bridge collapse on Saturday that a temporary bridge was slated to be constructed within 48 hours.

"Pakistan has the highest number of glaciers outside the polar region, and many are losing mass due to high global temperatures," Rehman said.

AccuWeather meteorologists say no relief is in sight for the foreseeable future across the region with searing heat projected to continue past the middle of May.

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