Snow fury kills 11, damages property worth crores Houses collapse, roads blocked, life thrown out of gear Kashmir remains cut off from rest of world DANISH FAROOQ Srinagar, Mar 12: Eleven persons died in different accidents across Jammu and Kashmir due to heavy snowfall while property worth crores has been damaged. Three persons of a family including two children died and eleven others were injured after their houses came under a snow avalanche in Damhal Hanjipora area of South Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Wednesday. Two women also died while several persons were injured as dozens of residential houses collapsed across South Kashmir.Reports said an avalanche rolled down a mountain in Balsaran village of Danaiw Kandi Marg, 15 kilometres ahead of Damhal Hanjipora, Wednesday morning burying four residential houses and two Gujjar hutments with all family members trapped.The locals immediately rushed to the spot and launched rescue operation, reports said. They said that police and district administration later also reached the spot to carry rescue work.Three bodies were retrieved from the debris; however many others trapped inside were rescued by locals and the rescue team, reports said.They said that seven persons were injured but were hospitalized.The dead were identified as Altaf Hussain Gorsi S/O Fareed Gorsi, aged 11; his cousin Talib Hussain S/O Tariq Gorsi, aged 10 and their uncle Abdul Rashid Gorsi, aged 22.Meanwhile two women died while three others were injured as dozens of residential houses collapsed across South Kashmir. The heavy snowfall also caused damage to hundreds of other houses across South Kashmir.Reports said Fazi Begum, 71, was critically injured after her house crumbled in Kansoo village of Imam Sahib in Shopian district late Tuesday evening.“The elderly lady was rushed to hospital where doctors declared her brought dead,” reports said.In another incident, a cowshed collapsed due to accumulation of snow in Manigam village of Qazigund in Kulgam district Tuesday night resulting in death of another woman.“The lady identified as Rahti Begum, 62, W/O Abdul Rashid of Manigam village had gone to feed cattle when suddenly the cowshed collapsed resulting in her death,” a police officer said.Two army men of 82 field regiment Batra Camp, Nayak Vijay Prasad and Darminder Singh came under an avalanche at the camp in the jurisdiction of Police Station Drass. Bodies of both the soldiers have been recovered.Three Nepali labourers were killed when an avalanche hit a stone quarry at Kaksar in Kargil, an official said.Police today recovered body of a man identified as Manzoor Ahmed Mir (45) of Kondbal Topi Mohalla Pampore, who was buried alive under a landslide last evening near Panthihal on Jammu-Srinagar highway.In Dushno Hirpora area of Shopian district reports said two residential houses collapsed due to heavy snowfall. Two persons received minor injuries.In Meemendar area of the district, reports said that snowfall and rains have caused flash floods.“People have left their houses and shifted to safer places as the area is submerged,” said locals.In Masopra area of Kellar in Shopian two residential houses were damaged“Two families got trapped in snow but were rescued by police and shifted to safer places,” said locals.Several houses suffered damage in Kakpora, Malangpora and Lajoora areas of Pulwama district due to heavy snowfall.House of Ghulam Nabi Khan collapsed in Gangsi Gund area of Dooru in Islamabad district due to heavy snowfall. Reports of damage to houses were also received from Kokernag, Dooru, Kapran, Verinag, Pahalgam and Shangus areas of the district.“Around 100 houses suffered damage in Islamabad district,” an official said.Meanwhile, a huge avalanche hit Jawahar Tunnel area on the Srinagar-Jammu Highway, however no loss of life was reported. RESCUE OPERATIONS:In a rescue operation, police and civil administration shifted 48 members of about 10 families from Waltangoo Naad to Vasik Nag area falling under Police Post Kund. These 48 persons including children, women and old have been shifted to safer place in view of the heavy snowfall.In another rescue operation by Qazigund Police, six families comprising of 24 members were shifted from Meerasi Nallah to safer place.Two families of Iqbal and Qasim Gujjar of Muspora Keller consisting of 5 members each were rescued from by Shopian Police along with 10 cattle. The families were shifted to the houses of Sarpanchs of Moshwara and Mastpora. One more family of Yousuf Ganie from Dublipora Wachi was rescued and shifted to another house in the village.Meanwhile, Police Pulwama provided food and other required items to 150 patients and attendants who had got stuck at district hospital Pulwama.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 10:19:38 +0000
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