Ten killed in Pakistan landslide

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At least 10 people have died in a landslide triggered by snowstorms in Pakistan's northern region of Gilgit.

Rescue workers believe that more than a dozen people are buried in the rubble after the landslide in the Hunza area on Monday afternoon.

The landslide also wiped out Atabad, a small village of more than 25 houses.

Officials say that they have asked residents of a neighbouring village to evacuate because of fears about flooding of the Hunza river.

Much of the rubble from the landslide in Atabad has fallen into the river and blocked its passage, officials said.

They said if the blockage is not cleared in a couple of days, the river may overflow and threaten several low- lying villages.

The landslide has also damaged a portion of the Karakoram highway, which connects Pakistan with China, bringing traffic on the road to a halt, officials said.

A police official in Hunza told the BBC Urdu Service that those killed in the landslide included at least two women and five children of between two and 14 years.

Officials in Hunza said snowfall on Tuesday morning had hindered rescue work by local people and the police.

The police official said boulders had been rolling down the mountain in the area for more than two years, but there were no casualties and the villagers did not heed this warning.