Snowfall Strands Passengers, Cargo at Khunjerab Pass as GB Winter Spell Bites

By Ahmed Khan | Updated: 14 November 2026

Heavy snowfall stranded passengers, tourists, vehicles and cargo containers at Khunjerab Pass on the Pakistan-China border on Friday, 13 November 2026, after the Karakoram Highway turned slippery and several containers skidded off the road. About four inches of snow and ice covered the road at Khunjerab Top, and with snowfall still continuing, police advised travellers to avoid the journey until conditions improve.

The stranding came on the second day of a wintry spell gripping Gilgit-Baltistan. Rain in the plains and snow over the mountains had already closed high passes in the region a day earlier, and the Pakistan Meteorological Department had warned that the spell would continue. At Khunjerab, the snowfall did not let up through Friday, leaving people stuck at more than 15,000 feet above sea level, where thin air adds a real risk of oxygen shortage.

Containers skid off the Karakoram Highway

The trouble began as the road surface froze. Three containers skidded off the Karakoram Highway (KKH) after the road became slippery, and their drivers had to be rescued. A Chinese container overturned after skidding on the snow-covered road; local travellers and Khunjerab Security Police personnel pulled the driver out safely. He remained unhurt.

A Gilgit-Baltistan police official told Dawn that snowfall was continuing at Khunjerab Top, leaving several vehicles and dozens of containers carrying imported goods from China stranded for hours.

Gilgit-Baltistan Tourism Minister Naiknaam Karim, who was among the stranded passengers, said two to three cars had also skidded. In a video message, he said snowfall had also fallen on the Chinese side, but the road there had been cleared, while the road at Khunjerab Top on the Pakistani side was covered with about four inches of snow and ice.

Minister stranded, appeals for snow-clearing machinery

The minister expressed concern over the lack of facilities and machinery to clear snow on the Pakistani side, and appealed to the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) to immediately deploy machinery to prevent further accidents.

Stranded passengers said the government and the relevant organisations had not started clearing the road for traffic, even as the snowfall continued. Police confirmed the snowfall was continuing from Dhee Headquarters to Khunjerab Top and the road was hazardous.

Thin air at 15,000 feet adds to the danger

Khunjerab Pass sits at an altitude of over 15,000 feet, and the stranded passengers said the height posed additional difficulties because of the risk of oxygen shortage. At that altitude the air holds far less oxygen than in the plains, and even healthy travellers can feel breathless or unwell if they stay exposed for long.

The advice from the authorities was blunt: avoid unnecessary journeys towards Khunjerab until conditions improve, and call the police helpline at 15 before setting out for the latest road information.

A wintry spell that had already closed other passes

The Khunjerab stranding did not come out of nowhere. The Pakistan Meteorological Department had forecast rain, thunderstorms and snowfall across Pakistan from 10 to 14 November as a fresh westerly weather system moved into the western and northern regions. The Met Office had warned that rain and snowfall could make mountain roads slippery and close some routes.

The forecast proved accurate. A day before the Khunjerab incident, heavy snow forced the closure of Babusar Top, the overland link between Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with travellers advised to use the Karakoram Highway instead. The Met Department expected the rain and snowfall to continue intermittently for two more days. Read our earlier report on Babusar Top closed after heavy snowfall.

The same system brought the season’s first winter rain to Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Read our report on the twin cities’ first winter rain. For the wider picture of what this winter may hold, see our explainer on the El Niño and polar vortex outlook for Pakistan’s winter 2026.

What travellers should do now

If you are in Gilgit-Baltistan or planning to travel north, the steps are straightforward. Do not set out for Khunjerab Pass until the road is confirmed clear, call the police helpline at 15 before travelling, and carry warm clothing, food and water, with your fuel tank filled, because a delay of a few hours at 15,000 feet in snowfall is very different from a delay on a plains highway.

Drivers heading towards the pass should remember that a road that looks passable can turn treacherous within minutes when fresh snow falls on ice. Slow speeds, no sudden braking and proper winter tyres matter more than reaching the destination quickly.

Cargo operators moving goods between Pakistan and China through Khunjerab should expect delays until the road is cleared.

What happens next

The immediate question is when the road will be cleared. The minister’s appeal to the FWO was direct: deploy machinery immediately to prevent further accidents. Whether it reaches Khunjerab Top in time depends on the weather, which was still bringing snow to the pass on Friday.

The wider spell is also not over. The Met Department’s forecast runs to 14 November, with rain and snowfall expected to continue intermittently. Travellers in the northern areas should keep checking the forecast and the police helpline before travelling on high mountain roads.

Khunjerab Pass will reopen once the snow is cleared and the road is safe. Until then, those stranded on Friday are a reminder of how quickly winter arrives at 15,000 feet.

Frequently Asked Questions