Pakistan avalanche search continues as bad weather grounds rescue helicopters

Newdelhi,UPDATED: Aug 4, 2026 17:08 IST

developments on Tuesday ranged from a rescue operation in Pakistan to diplomatic, legal and security-related moves involving Iran, the United States, Russia and Ukraine. In Pakistan, rescue teams continued a ground search for the remains of the last two missing members of a 10-member mountaineering group buried in a deadly avalanche last week after bad weather kept helicopters out of the operation, officials said.

Pakistan also stepped up its diplomatic engagement with Iran, with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar inviting his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi to Islamabad "at the earliest" for talks. In the United States, 25 Democratic-ruled states moved a court against President Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on 60 economies accounting for 99.4 per cent of American imports, while authorities said an Indian-origin man was among 25 people facing revocation of US citizenship over alleged crimes.

Officials said the rescue operation in Pakistan continued on foot on Tuesday because adverse weather conditions prevented helicopters from joining the effort to find the remains of the last two members of the expedition group.

On the diplomatic front, Pakistan's outreach to Iran came amid renewed US-Iran tensions, with Dar asking Araghchi to visit Islamabad for discussions.

In the US, the court move by the 25 Democratic states challenged Trump's forced-labour tariffs covering 60 economies. In a separate development, authorities said an Indian-origin man was among 25 people whose US citizenship is being revoked for alleged offences ranging from falsifying identity to attempted murder and child sexual abuse.

In the Strait of Hormuz, a British maritime monitoring agency said a cargo ship reported being hit by a projectile overnight off the coast of Oman, even as the United States and Iran made opposing claims about whether they were holding talks.

In the Russia-Ukraine war, local officials in Russia said Ukrainian drone attacks in the region around Moscow killed five people, while authorities in Ukraine said Russian aerial strikes there also caused at least five civilian deaths.

The day's developments included Pakistan's continuing search for missing climbers, its diplomatic outreach to Iran, a legal challenge in the US over tariffs, action against 25 US citizens including an Indian-origin man, a reported strike on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, and fresh deaths in attacks linked to the Russia-Ukraine war.

With PTI Inputs

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