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 frontier district of Kupwara despite massive rescue operation launched by different agencies immediately after the incident took place.
The rescue teams are expected to reach the site of accident any time today, 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 are on the job. The teams had night halt in the forest and are likely to reach the site today, he added and said the area where the accident took place is very far from Kupwara.
Three people identified as Ghulam Mohammad Lone, son of Ali Mohammad, Mohammad Altaf son of Safdar, residents of Warnow and Bashir Ahmad, son of Ghulam Rasool, 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.
Deputy Commissioner, Kupwara, said that he has sought the assistance of Army to rescue the missing persons. He said the matter was also taken up with the Deputy Commissioner, Bandipora since the area where the avalanche had occurred is on the border of two districts.
An official spokesman that Minister for Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Javaid Mustafa Mir has asked Deputy Commissioner Kupwara to personally visit village Warnow Lolab to take stock of search and rescue operation launched for tracing the missing persons, who have been trapped in a snow avalanche.
He also instructed that the rescue operation should continue till the missing persons are located. He also asked Deputy Commissioner Bandipora to launch parallel rescue team from Bandipora to locate the missing.
Accordingly, a well-organized rescue operation was launched despite the fact that the terrain is inhospitable and conditions extremely challenging.
Deputy Commissioner Kupwara Khalid Jehangir, personally monitored the operation along with SDM, Tehsildar and Block Medical Officer (BMO) at Warnow on Sunday.
Joint rescue team of Army, Police, SDRF, Revenue and Health comprising more than 60 personnel, as well as numerous locals were launched on Sunday at Warnow, Lolab. Lashikote Forest has been made base camp for rescue operation and Army has also provided sniffer dogs to the rescue teams.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Bandipora launched a parallel rescue mission with a team Army from 27 RR has also been launched from Bandipora. (AGENCIES)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
