Excelsior Correspondent
—Excelsior/Younis Khaliq
SRINAGAR, July 12: Four persons belonging to a single family were killed in a cloudburst in Aru forests in Pahalgam area of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district today.
Police said the cloudburst hit picturesque Aru Valley of the Pahalgam last night. The cloudburst washed away Kotha of one Bakarwal family belonging to Zakir Hussain son of Baz Mir of Rajouri at Girward 5 kilometers above Aru. The Kotha was perched on a slope at one of the vulnerable places.
Four family members of Zakir, Zaina wife of Zakir, Moosa son of Zakir, Gudi, 7, daughter of Zakir and Salima, 7 months, daughter of Zakir were washed away. Dead bodies of Moosa and Gudi were recovered. Other two bodies are yet to be retrieved. Father of Zakir, Baz Mir was injured in the mishap and he is being treated at Pahalgam hospital. The search for the two bodies is going on.
A police team led by SHO Pahalgam, Shoukat Bukhari, reached the spot early in the morning to carry out rescue operation. The NDRF and 3 RR of Army also joined the police in rescue operation.
Hundreds of sheep of Zakir and his horses were also washed away in the cloudburst waters.
In the meantime, four persons trapped in flood waters at Adigam, Kokernag in district Anantnag were rescued by 19 Rashtriya Rifles troops. These four persons, Contractor Ali Mohammad Bhat resident of Sagam, his brother Mohammad Shafi Bhat, JCB driver Gowher Ahmad and his helper Mohammad Shafi were working inside the Nullah this morning when they were caught in flash floods.
An Army team rushed to the spot and after sustained efforts by tying the ropes with the trees, rescued the trapped persons.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, has expressed grief over the death of four persons in a cloudburst in Aru area of Pahalgam today.
In his message, the Chief Minister, while condoling the unfortunate deaths, directed the rescue team present on the spot to make all out efforts to rescue the remaining trapped persons in the cloudburst.
Mufti Sayeed expressed sympathies with the bereaved families in their hour of distress and prayed for peace to the departed souls.
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