5 soldiers, BSF man among 12 die in Kashmir avalanches

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, January 14

Twelve persons, including five Army men and a BSF constable, were killed in a series of avalanches across the Kashmir valley that followed a spell of a heavy snowfall in the region in the past two days.

The casualties were caused in remote parts of north Kashmir’s frontier Kupwara district and in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, which were hit by at least four major avalanches.

In another avalanche that hit a deployment of the Border Security Force personnel in Kupwara’s Naugam sector on Monday night, one jawan was killed and three others were rescued, a BSF official said. In Ganderbal district, five civilians were killed when they were hit by a massive avalanche at Kulan Nard village.

Ganderbal DC Hashmat Ali Khan said the massive avalanche, spread over nearly 300 metre, swept across the highway on Monday night, trapping nine travellers underneath it. A rescue operation was immediately launched and four persons were saved. “Five civilians died in the incident,” he said.

Another civilian died in Gurez of Bandipora district.

Khan said another avalanche had hit a home at Revan village of the district in which six members of a family were trapped. “We launched a rescue operation and all six members were saved,” he said.

The avalanches triggered by a heavy spell of snowfall in the region during the past two days caused widespread disruptions.

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