Avalanches hit Gurez, Sonamarg areas; warning issued for 12 districts
Srinagar: An avalanche hit a village in Gurez sector of Bandipora district on Saturday, but there was no loss of life or damage to property, officials said,
An avalanche warning has been issued for 12 districts including Bandipora after moderate to heavy snowfall a day before, they said.
The avalanche hit Jurniyal village of Gurez this afternoon but there was no damage, the officials said.
A low-intensity avalanche also hit the Sarbal area of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district on Saturday. However, there was no report of any loss of life or property.
A police official said a Hyderabad-based company, Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Limited (MEIL), has built a workshop in the area where the avalanche occurred.
“A low-intensity avalanche has hit the Sarbal area (Sonamarg) where Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) is having a workshop. As reported by the company officials, everyone is safe. No loss of life and property is reported as of now,” he said in a statement.
The official said that the police and SDRF are monitoring the situation closely.
In the videos of the incident shared on social media, workers could be seen raising an alarm soon after avalanches struck the area.
This was the second that avalanches have hit the area. On January 12, two construction workers were buried under an avalanche in the area.
Following the avalanche, the police had asked the management of the company to temporarily shift its workers to a safer location.
Meanwhile, the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) on Saturday issued a ‘high danger’ avalanche warning for Kupwara district of north Kashmir and a ‘medium danger’ warning for Bandipora, Baramulla, Doda, Ganderbal, Kishtwar, Poonch, Ramban and Reasi districts.
“Avalanche with high danger level is likely to occur above 2,000 metres of Kupwara district in the next 24 hours. Avalanche with medium danger level is likely to occur above 2,000 metres over Bandipora, Baramulla, Doda, Ganderbal, Kishtwar, Poonch, Ramban and Reasi districts in the next 24 hours,” SDMA officials said.
They said an avalanche with a low danger level is likely to occur above 2,000 metres over Anantnag, Kulgam, and Rajouri districts in the next 24 hours. People have been advised to take precautions and avoid venturing into avalanche-prone areas.
Two labourers from Kishtwar died on Thursday when an avalanche hit the work site of a construction company in Ganderbal district’s Sonamarg.
