No trace of 3 people missing in snow avalanche in Kashmir

SRINAGAR: There was still no trace of three people who are missing since Saturday after they were buried under a huge snow avalanche in the forest area in the frontier district of Kupwara, though a number of agencies had joined rescue operation.
The forest area where the avalanche occurred is under about 20 feet of snow and it snowed even yesterday, an official of Police Control Room (PCR) said over phone from Kupwara.
He said the rescue teams from police, Army, State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) besides locals, consisting of about 100 people were on the job. The teams, after covering long snow-bound hilly and difficult terrain on foot, were scheduled to reach the spot yesterday, he added.
The rescue teams which were expected to reach the site of accident yesterday had to abandon the operation as there was series danger of snow avalanche, he said, adding that there was about 20 feet of snow.
The operation will be resumed only after improvement in the weather, he said. Three people identified as Ghulam Mohammad Lone, Mohammad Altaf, residents of Warnow and Bashir Ahmad, resident of Dardipora Lalpora came under snow avalanche at Gochibal Behak under the jurisdiction of police station Lalpora, District Kupwara.
They had gone for hunting in the forest when they came under snow avalanche. (AGENCIES)