Srinagar- One person was killed in a cloud burst incident in Banihal while several residential houses, vehicles were damaged due to gusty winds in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Monday as rains lashed plains in the Kashmir Valley.
Official sources said that a cloud burst was reported near the sports stadium in Banihal area of Jammu resulting in the death of one Zahid Ahmed son of Ab Qayoom and resident of Manjoos Srachi Khari.
Srinagar-Leh highway was closed for vehicular movement after fresh mudslides, officials said.
Gusty winds, accompanied by heavy rain, wreaked havoc in parts of Shopian and Kulgam districts damaging apple crop and several residential buildings and several vehicles.
Reports said a hailstorm hit areas including Kapran, Rawalpora, Nowgam, Kachdoora, Chak Kachdoora, Vehil, and their surroundings in the Shopian district, causing extensive damage to the crops, particularly apple.
“These apple orchards are our lifeline. The hailstorm has devastated our entire crop, leaving us in deep distress,” said Ghulam Rasool, a farmer from Rawalpora. He urged the authorities to visit affected villages to assess the damage.
An official said that a government building in the Pombay area and several vehicles that were parked there were damaged after trees were uprooted due to strong winds. The uprooting of trees also affected the power supply in some areas as several lines and transformers got damaged.
He said that rooftops of several residential houses were also damaged, while crops and apple orchards also suffered damage.
The damage to the crops have been reported from Tazipora, Mohanpora and Arreh area in the district.
Director Horticulture, Zahoor Ahmad Bhat said that a massive damage has occurred due to gusty winds today, adding that a visit will be made to the spots tomorrow along with SKUAST-K team to assess the damage.
According to an independent weather forecaster, Faizan Arif Keng, “this afternoon, Kulgam was hit by powerful wind gusts that reached speeds of up to 81 km/h, as recorded by an Automatic Weather Station in the area.”
“Such wind speeds fall within the range associated with a Cyclonic Storm, which is characterized by 3-minute sustained wind speeds between 63 and 87 km/h. There is also a possibility that wind gusts in certain parts of Kulgam may have even exceeded 90 km/h, near a Severe Cyclonic Storm category, which is defined by 3-minute sustained wind speeds between 89 and 117 km/h,” he said, adding that although the sustained winds may not have reached cyclone levels, the wind gusts highlight their intensity.
The rains however, lashed several areas of Jammu and Kashmir, bringing down the mercury in the Union Territory.
As per the data shared by Meteorological department (MeT), Pahalgam has received the highest rainfall in Kashmir division with 10.8 mm followed by 7.4 mm in Gulmarg till 05:30 PM.
Srinagar, the summer capital of J&K has recorded a precipitation of 1.2 mm while Katra in Jammu division received a rainfall of 11.6 mm.
2 Women Pilgrims Killed In Katra Landslide
Two women pilgrims from Punjab and Uttar Pradesh died while a five-year-old girl was grievously injured in a landslide on the new track to the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district on Monday, officials said.
Movement of pilgrims on the Himkoti track was halted following the landslide but the pilgrimage to the shrine atop Trikuta hills continued through the traditional Sanjhichatt route, they said.
Describing the incident as “unfortunate”, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha expressed grief over the loss of lives and sanctioned an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the bereaved families.
The deceased have been identified as Sapna (27) of Dhianpur village in Punjab’s Gurdaspur, and Neha (23) of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, officials said.
In a condolence message, Sinha said, “Extremely pained to learn about the loss of precious lives of pilgrims due to the unfortunate incident of shooting stones on Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine track today. My deepest condolences to bereaved families in this hour of grief.”
“Praying for the early recovery of the injured. I have directed the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board and the district administration, Reasi, to provide all necessary assistance, as provided in the rule, to the affected families and ensure best care for the injured,” he said.
Officials said the landslide hit the route near Panchi, three kilometres ahead of Bhawan, around 2.15 pm. A portion of an overhead iron structure was also damaged, they said.
The pilgrims were heading for the shrine when they got trapped under the iron structure following the landslide, officials said.
According to them, the landslide was caused by shooting stones in the wake of rainfall over the past few days.
Deputy Commissioner of Reasi Vishesh Paul Mahajan said senior police and civil administration officers have rushed to the spot.
Mahajan too left for Katra — the base camp for the Vaishno Devi pilgrims — to take stock of the situation and to personally know the condition of the injured girl.
Officials said disaster management teams of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) immediately reached the spot of the incident and launched a rescue operation.
The injured girl — Sanvi , a resident of Kanpur — was admitted to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana Superspeciality Hospital for treatment.
Her grandfather L Prasad said they were taking a break from trekking to the shrine when police started clearing the track due to a monkey scare.
“Suddenly, there was a landslide and the debris fell on the tin shed which collapsed,” he said.
On New Year’s Day in 2022, a stampede at the shrine left 12 pilgrims dead and 16 injured. —With inputs from KNO
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