SRINAGAR: As many as six persons, all working for various defence services, are reported missing in three different avalanches that hit various frontiers in the north Kashmir sector in last 24 hours highly placed sources said. So for only one body was recovered ad it belongs to a porter in Gurez.
Snowfall usually triggers avalanches in the border belts and hit the security installations, which are located in the area. It is happening almost every year.
Police sources that the first avalanche was reported from Nowgam sector in Kupwara where it hit an installation of 20-Dogra. Two soldiers were reported missing in the calamity. Police said the efforts are under way to trace the bodies for which a search operation has been mounted.
Late last evening, reports from Gurez said a resident of Kilshey village in Tulail slipped from a height during snowfall and died. He was identified as
Ghulam Qadir Khan. He was a young man earning his livelihood by working as a porter with the army. Khan was part of a 4-member porters group. All others, however, skidded safe in the incident.
During last night, police said, another avalanche was reported from Baktoor in Gurez. It smashed a security installation that was being manned by 36 Rashtriya Rifles. It has washed down three soldiers. Though the search operation has started immediately, they have not been able to trace any of the three personnel, so far.
