Traffic suspended on NH for 7 hours
Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, July 21: Three persons including a couple were killed due to lightning in Surankote area of district Poonch during early hours today while traffic was disrupted on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway for about seven hours today due to landslides in Ramban sector whereas, weather turned pleasant today after rain lashed many parts of J&K.
Official sources told the Excelsior that due to rain in Ramban and Udhampur areas, landslides blocked National Highway at Morh Ghori near Ramban at around 9 am. The road was cleared at around11 am. It was again blocked at the same point at 2 pm and then restored after two hours. However, fresh landslides blocked it around 4 pm and it could be restored at around 7.15 pm. During the day, a large number of vehicles including passenger vehicles remained stranded on the road for hours.
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Udhampur-Ramnagar Road was also blocked due to landslides during rain in the morning near Kagote. A large number of vehicles remained stranded up to 11 am. The District Administration pressed the machines into service for the restoration of the road.
Meanwhile, a young couple was among three persons killed in a lightning incident at a remote village in Surankote tehsil of Poonch district during early hours today.
A police official said that during last night, lightning struck Gumsar Dhoke in Surankote area of the Poonch district, killing three persons including Mohammad Hassiq and his wife Zarina Akther (30) of Lathong and Javed Ahmed (38) of Lassana.
All the three persons including the husband-wife died on the spot. There are no whereabouts so far about the couple’s child and searches are underway, official added.
Incharge Police Post Behramgalla, Mohammad Rafiq confirmed the deaths. He said a police party reached Dhoke and the bodies were shifted to Surankote Hospital. They had gone for grazing cattle in the remote and higher reaches of Pir Panjal.
Meanwhile, rain lashed parts of Jammu region, bringing down the temperature in the region. It rained in the City of Temples during afternoon, providing respite to the people from hot and humid conditions. There was water logging in many city areas which disrupted smooth movement of vehicles.
Reports from Srinagar said that after witnessing hot and humid weather during the last couple of weeks, the weather turned pleasant as incessant and intermittent rains lashed the summer capital, Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir valley since Monday night, finally ending a long dry spell that has badly hit Agriculture and Horticulture sectors.
A MeT department spokesperson said that light to moderate rain and thundershowers would occur at some places in J&K, Gilgit-Baltistan , besides at isolated places in the Union Territory of Ladakh during the next 24 hours.
He said Srinagar has received 47 mm rain since June 1, which was 21 mm less than normal.
The weather turned pleasant due to intermittent rain and cloudy skies since Monday night in Srinagar much to the delight of the people, who remained confined to their houses due to fresh lockdown imposed in view of upward spiral in COVID-19 cases and deaths.
After recording the hottest day of the season so far at 33.2 degree on Monday, the maximum temperature on Tuesday dipped and settled several degrees below normal in the city, where some interior roads were waterlogged in the morning due to overnight rain.
Intermittent incessant rain also lashed famous ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir, resulting in dip in the maximum and minimum temperatures.
There is much needed relief from hot weather due to rain for people living in other parts of the Valley, including Sopore, Baramulla, Kupwara in North Kashmir, Qazigund, gateway to the Valley and Kokernag.
Pahalgam in South Kashmir, also received intermittent light to moderate rain since late last night, resulting in dip in the maximum and minimum temperatures.
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