Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Mar 26: As heavy overnight rains lashed Kashmir valley and fresh snowfall in hills, the divisional administration today issued avalanche warning for the hills and Army rescued over 65 passengers from snow avalanches in North Kashmir’s Kupwara district.
The heavy rains lashed Kashmir during the night till morning causing water logging of city roads at various places especially in the low lying areas due to faulty drainage.
The hills had fresh overnight snowfall and divisional administration, issued medium danger avalanche warning. “Medium danger avalanche warning exists for avalanche prone areas above 3000 meter altitude of Kupwara, Bandipora, Baramulla, Ganderbal and Kargil from 26-03-2016 to 27-03-2016”, the advisory said.
“People residing in these zones are advised not to venture in avalanche prone areas during the above mentioned period. The Deputy Commissioners of these districts have been asked to keep a close watch, monitor the situation and take immediate necessary precautionary measures in these areas”, reads the advisory.
Army rescue teams this morning recovered body of Rifleman Sunil Rai, who was buried under snow after an avalanche struck an Army patrol yesterday morning in Turtuk Sector of Ladakh. Lance Havildar Bhawan Tamang, who was rescued yesterday immediately after the avalanche had succumbed to his injuries later.
Lt Gen DS Hooda, Army Commander, Northern Command has expressed his deep condolences to the families of the martyrs. He said: “The Indian Army fraternity stands shoulder to shoulder with the bereaved families in their hour of grief”.
In the meantime, Army rescued 64 stranded passengers including women and children at the Nasta Chhun Pass in the frontier district of Kupwara. These passengers were trapped in snow avalanches.
“On March 24 in late hours, 10 light vehicles carrying 64 civilians and 12 load carriers were caught in deep snow and raging snow blizzard near Nasta Chhun Pass endangering the lives of the commuters. The Army detachment at Nasta Chhun Pass received the SOS call at 2200 hours from the stranded civilians and the Avalanche Rescue Team from Nasta Chhun Pass was immediately sprung into action to provide assistance to the stranded civilians. The team reached the incident site despite strong snow blizzards and rescued all the civilians. The stranded vehicles were provided a safe track by manually clearing the snow. The rescue operation was again launched in the early hours to pull out 12 heavily loaded trucks using dozer of GREF”, an Army spokesman said here.
The spokesman said that the Army detachment at Nasta Chhun Pass provided medical aid, food and other necessary assistance to the rescued civilians.
The Traffic Police authorities today said that keeping in view the condition of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, only one-way traffic will ply on it tomorrow. “Keeping in view the condition of road in the stretch between Batote and Ramban, particularly at Batote and Nashri, only one way movement of traffic shall be permitted on NH-1A tomorrow on 27.03.2016 and the movement of traffic shall be allowed from Jammu towards Srinagar side. Movement of all types of Kashmir bound passenger vehicles and oil tankers shall be permitted from Nagrota (Jammu) from 5 AM to 3 PM whereas the movement of trucks shall be allowed from Jammu from 5 am to 12 noon. No movement of traffic shall be allowed from Qazigund towards Jammu side under any circumstances”, he added.
In North Kashmir and Central Kashmir, landslides triggered by heavy rains damaged four residential houses today. Two residential houses were damaged after landslide triggered in Wadarbala Nagni Rajwar area of Handwara town today. The houses belonged to Ghulamuddin Khatana and Salamuddin Khatana and all other families living in the vicinity were shifted to safer places. Two more residential houses were damaged due to landslides in Waniarm village of Wangath in Kangan town of Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district.
In Pulwama, a diversion build after 2014 floods on Pulwama-Pakharpora road at Rohmu was washed away. A temporary wooden bridge at Mughalpora on Pulwama-Sangam was washed away today due to flash floods. The wooden bridge was built by locals on their own after the bridge was washed away in 2014 floods.
Mustard crop in villages of Koil, Palangam, Puchal and Lajoora in Pulwama district were damaged in flash floods.
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