The authorities on Saturday issued avalanche warning in several districts of Kashmir Valley following predictions of inclement weather even as a 16-year-old student was buried alive under a snow avalanche in Macchil area of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.
The wet weather conditions started in valley since Friday morning as plains received intermittent rainfall while as the upper reaches received considerable snowfall. The downpour started at a time when the 40-day spell of Chillai Kalan, the harshest period of Kashmir’s winter season is about to end on January 31. This year, no major snowfall occurred in the Valley in the Chillai kalan period as most of the January days were sunny and warmer.
Sources said Mehrajudin Khan was buried alive at Chuntiwara village in Macchil sector near the line of Control (loC) when he was on way to a local seminary. A defence spokesman said that army and then local villagers launched swift rescue operation when locals raised alarm shortly after three boys were buried under snow avalanche.
“Undeterred by the raging blizzard, 15-20 feet of standing snow and further avalanche warnings, the Army’s Avalanche Rescue Team was immediately launched”, the spokesman said adding the Avalanche Victim Detector helped the rescue team to establish contact with the boys. He said the boys were buried under 10 feet of snow, in a state of shock and physical exhaustion and were administered critical first aid at the site itself.
While two boys were retrieved alive, Khan succumbed to his grievous injuries. The avalanche hit the village a day after the government had issued warning in four districts of Kashmir division and advised not to venture out in avalanche prone areas.
The warning was issued for next 24 hours in avalanche prone areas in Kupwara, Baramulla, Bandipora and ladakh districts. The areas include Chokibal-Tangdhar, Keran, Gurez, Nawgam-Kalyan, Machil and Drass sector in ladakh district. late on Saturday evening the divisional administration renewed the avalanche warning as more areas were included.
According to Divisional Commissioner Kashmir medium danger avalanche warning exists for snowbound areas in Chowkibal-Tangdar, Taya, Ragini, Puttakhan, Zunegund, Malai, Pharkiyan, Keran Sector, Bandipora Rajdhan, Gulmarg, Neeru, Burab, Chakwali, Naugaon, Kaiyan, Radha TMG, Padam, Zebra, Patlala, Z-Gali, Macchal, Dhudi, Tsuntwarl, Drass Sector and Kargil Sector in Kashmir Division.
“Pople are advised not to venture in steep avalanche prone slope during next 24 hours from January 30 to January 31, 2016. People are also advised to keep cleaning the snow from roof top of their houses to avoid any causality due to roof collapse”, an official spokesman said.
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