7 die, 31 hurt as rock falls on devotees at Reasi waterfall

Jammu/Katra, July 15

Seven persons were killed and 31 injured when a boulder fell on devotees taking a bath at the 100-foot-high Sihar Baba waterfall in Talwara area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district on Sunday.

Four persons were killed on the spot, while three died on the way to the hospital.

According to the police, the incident took place around 3.30 pm when a large number of people had gathered at the spot.

“Seven people have been killed. The injured have been shifted to a super-speciality hospital in Kakryal after administering first aid at the district hospital,” said Reasi SSP Tahir Bhat.

The area had been cordoned off and efforts were on to identify the victims, he added.

The SSP said Army, paramilitary force and J&K Police personnel carried out the rescue operation and removed bodies and debris from the pool.

In Srinagar, Governor NN Vohra expressed grief over the loss of life. The Governor, who is also the Chairman of the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, directed Shrine Board CEO Dheeraj Gupta to make arrangements to shift the injured to the board’s super-speciality hospital at Kakryal.

Gupta later said the condition of three injured was critical.