SrinagarThree persons, who had gone for hunting, were feared dead after a snow avalanche swept them in Lolab area of north Kashmirs Kupwara district on Saturday.
A local news agency quoting sources said that five persons had gone for hunting in Lashkote area, the top forest area of Darpora which connects Lolab and Bandipora forest areas, two days ago.
They later divided into two groups, one comprising three members while two others formed another group.
As they were moving to different locations, snow avalanche struck and trapped the group comprising three members. The two others tried to rescue them but got trapped and somehow managed their way out. They ultimately travelled several kilometres to inform locals and police about the incident.
One of the survivors Zameer Ahmad son of Mohd Sayed, a resident of Affan, told GNS that they had gone to the area two days ago. Zameer said that he and another person Mohd Akbar Mir son of Mohd Subhan Mir took one location namely HumKhan Behak while three others were on the other side known as Gusbal Behak.
As we were moving an avalanche struck trapping three persons namely Altaf Ahmad Mir son of Bashir Ahmad Mir, Bashir Ahmad Ganie son of Ghulam Rasool Ganie and Ghulam Mohd Lone son of Ali Mohd Lone all residents of Warnow, Lolab, he said, adding, There was a huge noise which attracted our attention and we tried to locate three other members of the group by following the footprints but as we moved towards the area there was complete snow blanket and we tried our best to retrieve them got trapped in the process, Zameer said.
They somehow managed to save themselves and later travelled several kilometers to acquaint people about it and the police.
SHO Lalpora Abdul Rashid said that a rescue team comprising of police Kuligam, police Lalpora, SDRF, locals
He said that there were continuous snow and rains which has hampered the operation and would be resumed tomorrow morning. This season so far, avalanches claimed 21 lives in Kashmir Valley with the killing of Russian skiers at Gulmarg on February 16.
On February 2, three soldiers were killed and another was injured after a snow avalanche swept away an army post came in Machil sector of north Kashmirs Kupwara district.
On January 18, a Swedish skier identified by his first name Daniel was killed while another was rescued in injured condition by police and tourism officials after an avalanche struck Kashmirs primer ski resort of Gulmarg, 54-km west of summer capital Srinagar.
Earlier on January 6, eleven persons including a junior engineer of Border Roads Organization (BRO)s BEACON project were killed and two others wounded when swept by three successive avalanches in along Sadhna Top mountain pass in Kupwara.
Five soldiers died after being swept in avalanches or caught in snow storms at different locations in Kupwara and neighbouring Bandipore district in second week of December 2017. ( with inputs from GNS)
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