Shooting stones kill one; landslides affect Amarnath Yatra in Ramban

Banihal/Jammu, July 22

A 55-year-old man was killed when he was hit by a shooting stone from a hillock amid heavy rainfall in Ramban district, officials said. Abdul Rashid Bhat was on his way to Chakki in Pogal Paristan area when the incident took place, Tehsildar Nasir Javed said.

He said Pogal Paristan witnessed heavy rains, cloudburst and flashfloods in the morning, also damaging a residential house at Alinbass-A, Chanbas, while a portion of Ukhral-Senabathi road was damaged. A bridge abutment near Magarkote, Sujmatrna was swept away in the flash floods, leaving several villages including Khowra, Dragali, Dardahi and Ahma without connectivity, the official said.

Meanwhile, the 20th batch of 3,472 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu for the Valley in 132 vehicles in the early hours of Saturday, but the convoy was briefly stopped in Ramban’s Chanderkote area following landslides at two places along the Jammu-Srinagar highway.

Landslides due to rains were reported from Mehar and Dalwas areas. After removal of debris, the traffic movement was restored, officials said. Light to moderate rains and thunderstorms have been reported from many parts of J&K, a meteorology official said.

A Gujjar hamlet at Ghadkhal in Akhnoor was inundated due to rise in the water level of the Chenab river in the morning. A cloudburst around the Kota Nullah in Doda district early this morning washed away a stretch of the Thaleela-Chirala link road and created a flood-like situation.

In Ladakh, a cloudburst triggered flashfloods, causing debris to flow into the main market area and throwing life out of gear, but there was no report of any loss of life. The cloudburst hit the Gangles area of the UT late Friday night and left several parts of Leh town inundated, officials said, adding the debris entered many buildings in the low-lying areas, causing some damage to them.

A police spokesperson said rescue and rehabilitation work was underway in Leh town, especially in Khakshal, Sanker, Skampari, Chhubi, Zangsti and the main market Gonpa Soma areas. The flashfloods resulted in the postponement of a programme of the Dalai Lama in Leh. — PTI

Cloudburst in Leh

• A cloudburst triggered flashfloods in the Leh town, causing debris to flow into the main market area and throwing life out of gear.
• Silt entered many buildings, especially in Khakshal, Sanker, Skampari, Chhubi, Zangsti and Gonpa Soma.

Affected areas

• Pogal Paristan in Ramban witnesses heavy rains, cloudburst and flashfloods. A bridge abutment near Magarkote, Sujmatrna, was swept away.
• A Gujjar hamlet in Akhnoor was inundated. A stretch of the Thaleela-Chirala link road in Doda was washed away.

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