1 killed in landslide, 235 rescued amid heavy snowfall in J-K’s Kishtwar
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Jammu: One person was killed and another injured in a landslide near a hydro-power project, while over 230 people, including women and children, were rescued amid heavy snowfall at the high-altitude Sinthan Top in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, officials said on Monday.
Authorities have ordered the closure of all educational institutions outside municipal limits in Kishtwar and adjoining Doda district for the day as a precautionary measure due to inclement weather.
The landslide, triggered by rain, struck a hydro-power project site near Dangduru on the night of Sunday to Monday, trapping two workers. One worker was later found dead, while the other was rescued in an injured condition and shifted to a hospital.
In a separate incident, a joint rescue operation by the police, Army, and civil administration successfully evacuated 38 vehicles carrying 235 passengers stranded at Sinthan Top, which connects Kishtwar with south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
“On March 15, information was received that 235 civilians were stranded at Sinthan Top due to heavy snowfall and severe weather conditions. Troops of the White Knight Corps were immediately mobilised to launch a swift rescue operation despite treacherous terrain and relentless snowfall,” the Corps said in a post on X.
Braving extreme weather and snow-blocked roads, the rescue teams reached Sinthan Top, providing stranded civilians with hot meals, drinking water, and shelter. Repair and recovery teams restored the mobility of stranded vehicles, while passengers from unrecoverable vehicles were safely evacuated. Medical teams also rendered assistance and essential medicines to those in need.
The White Knight Corps highlighted the “seamless coordination between the Army, J-K Police, and the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation, reaffirming the Army’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding lives in the harshest conditions.”
Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Sharma, SSP Naresh Singh, and the commanding officer of the 11 Rashtriya Rifles supervised the rescue operation, which continued for several hours, officials said.
With PTI inputs