STATE TIMES NEWS
Srinagar: Several avalanches and landslides hit the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway on Friday even as the death toll in the series of snow slides that have hit Jammu and Kashmir crossed 20 with the recovery of the bodies of four soldiers.
In Srinagar, police officials said that bodies of four missing soldiers were recovered from avalanche-hit Gurez sector, taking the death toll in the incident to 14
“Four bodies of soldiers were recovered from the avalanche site by rescue teams in Gurez today. The death toll of army personnel has now risen to 14,” a police official said.
Two avalanches hit army personnel in Gurez sector on Wednesday evening trapping several soldiers usssnder the debris.
While seven personnel were rescued alive by the teams, bodies of 10 soldiers were recovered on Friday.
An elderly man was buried in Uri sector, two pregnant women, holed up in their houses shifted by police to hospital in Anantnag district, while eight houses and three school buildings were damaged in different parts of Kashmir valley, police said on Friday even as cold kept up its intensity that recorded fresh snow and showers.
Authorities have issued a high danger avalanche warning in hilly parts of snow-bound Kashmir Valley in view of fresh snowfall.
Two pregnant women, holed up in their houses due to heavy snowfall, were shifted by police to hospital in Anantnag district, while eight houses and three school buildings were damaged in different parts of Kashmir valley, police said on Friday.
Dilshada was stranded in her snowbound Aaroo village in the periphery of Pahalgam hill resort, 100 kms from here, in Anantnag district of south Kashmir.
After getting information, a police team acted swiftly and cleared snow on about four kilometres of road from Pahalgam to Aaroo and crossed eight kilometres by foot to lend a helping hand to the family to shift the pregnant woman to hospital, a police spokesman said.
Another pregnant woman Masooda Jan, a resident of Panzgam village of Kokernag, in Anantnag district got stranded on road while on way to hospital and was subsequently rescued by police and evacuated to hospital, the spokesman said.
He said four residential houses were damaged due to heavy snowfall at village Watto in Kulgam district while a government middle school was damaged at Hakradan village of the south Kashmir district.
A building of Government Middle School Sapplan and old building of Primary School at Dalwash also got damaged due to heavy snowfall in Budgam district of central Kashmir, the spokesman said.
He said two residential houses were also damaged at Ladoora village of Sopore in Baramulla district, one house each in Tikipora village of Kupwara district and Nigenpora- Qazigund in Kulgam district.
The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway is still closed for traffic due to snowfall which has rendered the road slippery. No vehicle has been allowed to ply today as well, an official of the Traffic Control Department told.
He said efforts were on the make the nearly 300-km long highway – the only all weather road link between Kashmir and rest of the country – traffic worthy at the earliest and the heavy vehicles, stranded since the road was closed, have been shifted from high risk areas. With improvement in the weather conditions, air traffic at Srinagar airport resumed on Friday after three days and an additional flight was operated to clear the passenger backlog. The air traffic, which were suspended due to snowfall, resumed today and flight operations could take place after three days, Director, Airports Authority of India (AAI), Srinagar International Airport, Sharad Kumar said.
President condoles army casualties
Assembly pays homage to soldiers killed in avalanches
Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Friday paid homage to the soldiers who were killed in avalanches in Gurez sector of Kashmir. As the House assembled on Friday, the members raised the issue of deaths of soldiers in avalanches and called for paying homage.
After this, Speaker of the Assembly Kavinder Gupta asked the members to stand up and the entire House expressed two minutes of silence. Two avalanches hit army personnel in Gurez sector on Wednesday evening, trapping several soldiers under the debris. While seven personnel were rescued alive by the teams, bodies of 10 soldiers were recovered yesterday. Four more bodies were recovered today, taking the death toll of army personnel to 14. More than 20 people, including 15 army personnel, have died in avalanches since Wednesday, caused by fresh snowfall across Jammu and Kashmir over the past four days. Meanwhile, President Pranab Mukherjee has condoled the death of the army soldiers killed in avalanches in the Gurez sector.
In his message to Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat, the President said: “I am sad to learn about the avalanche in Kashmir in which a number of army personnel lost their lives and some are reported missing. “I understand rescue and relief operations are currently underway. I am sure that concerned army authorities and the state government are providing all possible aid to the bereaved families and medical assistance to the injured,” Mukherjee said.
The President also asked Gen Rawat to convey his heartfelt condolences to the families of the soldiers. “My prayers for an early and speedy recovery of all injured personnel,” he added.
