Snow Blizzard Kills 14, Damages Property Worth Crores
SRINAGAR; Fourteen 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 troopers 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 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.
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.
Normal life also remained disrupted in district Bandipora and Kupwara. Locals said that snow has not been cleared from various roads, causing immense hardships to people.
District administration cleared most of the vital roads including Kupwara- Sopore, Kupwara- Kralpora and Kupwara-Lolab and Handwara- Rajwar and Handwara Vilgam roads as half a dozen snow cutter machines were working from past two days to keep these roads open. Though roads leading to Kupwara, Handwara, Trehgam, and Sogam, and other towns are open, still vehicular movement in several upper belt villages of the district remained disrupted due to accumulation of snow and acute slippery conditions. Around 2 feet of fresh snow has accumulated in Kralpora, Rajwar, Trehgam and Sogam towns of the district.
There are reports of heavy snowfall in many border and high altitude villages like Karnah, Machil, Nowgam, Keran, Doben, Kamkadi, Budhnumbal, Jumagund, Safawali, Sharanth, Marsari and Chowkibal.
At least six feet of fresh snow had accumulated on high altitude Sadhana Pass which falls on 80-km-long Karnah-Kupwara Road and is only entry point for Karnah tehsil.
At other hilly places like Farkyan Gali and Z- Gali which connect Keran and Machil areas, at least four to five feet of fresh snow has accumulated. These areas are completely cut-off from rest of the world.
Though electricity was restored today in Kupwara and Handwara towns, still most of the other areas of the district are reeling under darkness due to heavy damage to the transmission lines and poles at different places.
Meanwhile, reports said that at least three residential houses at Guzryal, Heril, Jadda, Tard were damaged due to collapse of roof tops and falling of trees.
In Hirl Handwara a Deodar tree fell on the residential house of Ghulam Ahmad Pir, inmates were rescued and evacuted. In Guzryal Kupwara the shop of Bahu-u-din was damaged.
Various roads in district Budgam, Ganderbal and Srinagar are inundated, forcing most of the business establishments to remain closed.
In Srinagar, a masjid collapsed at Khanqah-e-Sokhta Nawakadal. Roof of a residential house collapsed at Shatra Shahi behind New Secretariat and injured an aged lady, the house belongs to Tariq Ahmad Sheikh.
According to reports, the residential house of Abdul Aziz Tiploo at Baba Dawood Colony Soura collapsed and suffered major damage due to snowfall.
Aayque joinery mills’ roof reportedly collapsed in Shalteng resulting in partial damage to building while New Gulistan Furniture at Humhama was damaged due to snowfall.
Most of the offices and commercial establishments remained closed in the city due to water logging.
Most of the tuition centers and other private offices remained closed in entire Central Kashmir due to non-availability of public transport.
A senior official at Irrigation and Flood Control Department said there is no flood threat in Kashmir. “The rain and snowfall has raised water level in major rivers, streams, nallahs and other water bodies. However, there is no threat of flood,” he said.
State Disaster Management Authority has issued Medium Danger avalanche warning for hilly areas of Uri, Tangdhar, Ramban, Doda, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri, Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam, Budgam, Ganderbal, Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora and Kargil.
“People living in these snowbound areas have been requested to take precautions and not to venture on steep slopes. The warning has been issued on the basis of information from SASE. It is valid for the next 24 hours,” said an official.
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 troopers 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 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.
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.
Normal life also remained disrupted in district Bandipora and Kupwara. Locals said that snow has not been cleared from various roads, causing immense hardships to people.
District administration cleared most of the vital roads including Kupwara- Sopore, Kupwara- Kralpora and Kupwara-Lolab and Handwara- Rajwar and Handwara Vilgam roads as half a dozen snow cutter machines were working from past two days to keep these roads open. Though roads leading to Kupwara, Handwara, Trehgam, and Sogam, and other towns are open, still vehicular movement in several upper belt villages of the district remained disrupted due to accumulation of snow and acute slippery conditions. Around 2 feet of fresh snow has accumulated in Kralpora, Rajwar, Trehgam and Sogam towns of the district.
There are reports of heavy snowfall in many border and high altitude villages like Karnah, Machil, Nowgam, Keran, Doben, Kamkadi, Budhnumbal, Jumagund, Safawali, Sharanth, Marsari and Chowkibal.
At least six feet of fresh snow had accumulated on high altitude Sadhana Pass which falls on 80-km-long Karnah-Kupwara Road and is only entry point for Karnah tehsil.
At other hilly places like Farkyan Gali and Z- Gali which connect Keran and Machil areas, at least four to five feet of fresh snow has accumulated. These areas are completely cut-off from rest of the world.
Though electricity was restored today in Kupwara and Handwara towns, still most of the other areas of the district are reeling under darkness due to heavy damage to the transmission lines and poles at different places.
Meanwhile, reports said that at least three residential houses at Guzryal, Heril, Jadda, Tard were damaged due to collapse of roof tops and falling of trees.
In Hirl Handwara a Deodar tree fell on the residential house of Ghulam Ahmad Pir, inmates were rescued and evacuted. In Guzryal Kupwara the shop of Bahu-u-din was damaged.
Various roads in district Budgam, Ganderbal and Srinagar are inundated, forcing most of the business establishments to remain closed.
In Srinagar, a masjid collapsed at Khanqah-e-Sokhta Nawakadal. Roof of a residential house collapsed at Shatra Shahi behind New Secretariat and injured an aged lady, the house belongs to Tariq Ahmad Sheikh.
According to reports, the residential house of Abdul Aziz Tiploo at Baba Dawood Colony Soura collapsed and suffered major damage due to snowfall.
Aayque joinery mills’ roof reportedly collapsed in Shalteng resulting in partial damage to building while New Gulistan Furniture at Humhama was damaged due to snowfall.
Most of the offices and commercial establishments remained closed in the city due to water logging.
Most of the tuition centers and other private offices remained closed in entire Central Kashmir due to non-availability of public transport.
A senior official at Irrigation and Flood Control Department said there is no flood threat in Kashmir. “The rain and snowfall has raised water level in major rivers, streams, nallahs and other water bodies. However, there is no threat of flood,” he said.
State Disaster Management Authority has issued Medium Danger avalanche warning for hilly areas of Uri, Tangdhar, Ramban, Doda, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri, Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam, Budgam, Ganderbal, Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora and Kargil.
“People living in these snowbound areas have been requested to take precautions and not to venture on steep slopes. The warning has been issued on the basis of information from SASE. It is valid for the next 24 hours,” said an official.
No comments: