New Delhi: Eleven soldiers were killed in two avalanches that hit Gurez Sector of Kashmir while the Valley remained cut off from the rest of the country due to heavy snowfall.
An avalanche was reported in Gurez sector in Bandipore district where it hit an Army post. Before that, an Army patrol party was caught by another avalanche in the same sector. So far, bodies of 10 soldiers have been recovered from the sector. One JCO and six soldiers have been rescued.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday expressed grief over soldiers who were killed in avalanches and said that authorities have been directed to carry out search and rescue operations.
Deeply saddened at the death of our Veer jawans in an avalanche in Kashmir. Have directed the authorities for speedy search and rescue ops.? Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 26, 2017
On Wednesday, an officer was killed an avalanche at Sonamarg in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district while four members of a family died in another avalanche in Gurez sector. A police official said the house collapsed under the debris of the avalanche resulting in death of 55-year-old Mehraj-ud-Din Lone, his wife Azizi (50), 22-year-old son Irfan and daughter Gulshan (19). Lone's another son, Reyaz Ahmad, was rescued by the authorities and admitted to hospital.
Police and army have saved scores of people trapped in bad weather and authorities have warned of more avalanches in Kupwara, Uri, Baramulla, Lolab, Gurez, Macchil areas of the Valley.
The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was closed for traffic and all flights to Srinagar Airport were cancelled due to snowfall.
"All flights which were scheduled to arrive at and take off from Srinagar airport have been cancelled," PTI quoted Director Srinagar Airport Sharad Kumar as saying.
Meanwhile, most parts of Kashmir Division, including Ladakh, continued to reel under subzero temperatures with Leh being the coldest recorded place. The minimum temperature in Leh was minus 3.6 degree Celsius.
(With PTI inputs)
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