Woman, 65, girl, 7, man, 28, of nomad family killed in landslide

Woman, 65, girl, 7, man, 28, of nomad family killed in landslide

Another woman pulled out in critical condition, taken to SMHS; distress calls from nomads stuck in many areas; Sgr-Jammu highway blocked

Anantnag: Three persons, one of them a little girl and another a woman, were killed in a landslide caused by heavy rain and snowfall while another woman was grievously injured, here in Awantipora area of Pulwama district on Saturday. The deceased have been identified as 28-year-old Irshad Bargud, son of Abdul Gani; 7-year-old Mahnaz Akhtar, daughter of Abdul Qayoom; and 65-year-old Wahab Jan, wife of Abdul Ghafoor.

“All of them were residents of Reasi district in Jammu division,” a senior police official from the area said, adding that the injured woman has been shifted to SMHS hospital in Srinagar for treatment. Her condition is stated to be critical.

The incident took place in Noorpora area of Awantipora. According to local sources, some nomads from Reasi were camped in the locality, adjacent to a hillock when heavy rains triggered a landslide.

“Four of them were buried in the landslide and by the time they were rescued, three of them had already died,” the local sources said.

The local police official said that the rest of the nomads have been shifted to a nearby government school building, and are safe. “We have arranged essentials for them, while arrangements for last rites of the deceased are also being made,” the police official said.

Meanwhile, police in Shopian district said they acted swiftly after receiving a distress call from some nomadic families stuck amid heavy snow and apprehensions of snow avalanches.

“An 18-member team was rushed to Neelinad, Shadab Karewa area of the district, and the families were rescued along with their livestock and shifted to a safe location,” a police spokesperson said.

In Pulwama district as well, around 25 nomad families had to be rescued from the upper reaches of Sanagrweni, following a distress call. These families have been shifted to safer locations as well.

The untimely snow and rains lashing for more than 20 hours have caused heavy damage to apple orchards. The extent of damage, an official of the horticulture department said, will only be gauged after a proper survey of the affected areas.

“Some orchardists were unable to pluck all of their crops in time and there are widespread reports of apple trees getting damaged due to snow and rains. We will have to assess the situation once the weather gets better to get a fairer picture of the losses incurred,” the official said.

Also, the Srinagar-Jammu national highway has been closed for any kind of vehicular movement in wake of landslides at many places along the highway. “No traffic will be allowed to ply on the road on Sunday as well,” the traffic police said.

 

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