Kupwara avalanche: Bodies of all 11 missing people recovered

Srinagar: Bodies of all 11 people, including a woman and her 11-month-old baby, who went missing after two snow avalanches hit border area of Tangdhar in the frontier Kashmir district of Kupwara on Friday evening, have been recovered after over 20-hour-long operation.

A cab was swept away by an avalanche at Sadhna top, while another avalanche hit a Beacon officer on Friday between 1515 hrs to 1530 hrs.Meanwhile, rescue teams of police and Army joined by locals were able to rescue three persons, including a minor boy, after the avalanche swept away a vehicle at Sadhna top on Friday.

Official sources tonight told UNI that with the recovery of the bodies of a woman and her 11-month-old baby, who was tightly held to her chest, this evening, the total number of people killed in two snow avalanches has reached to 11 in Tangdhar sector.

'The body of a Beacon officer Havaldar MP Singh was recovered last night after the rescue operations were launched,' Deputy Commissioner Kupwara Khalid Jehangir told UNI.

Official sources said rescue teams managed to rescue three persons - a child, an elderly person and driver of the vehicle from under the snow on Friday. 
“The rescued persons were shifted to hospital,” they added.