Jammu, Mar 16: One person was killed and another injured after a landslide struck near a hydro-power project, while over 230 people, including women and children, were rescued after being stranded in heavy snowfall at the high-altitude Sinthan Top in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, officials said on Monday.
Due to the inclement weather, authorities ordered the closure of all educational institutions outside municipal limits in Kishtwar and adjoining Doda district on Monday as a precautionary measure, officials added.
According to officials, the landslide, triggered by heavy rain, hit a hydro-power project site near Dangduru in Kishtwar district on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, trapping two workers under debris.
One of the workers was later found dead, while the other was rescued with injuries and shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment.
In a separate incident, officials said a joint rescue operation by the police, Army and civil administration evacuated 235 passengers travelling in 38 vehicles who were stranded due to heavy snowfall at Sinthan Top, which connects Kishtwar in the Jammu region with south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Officials said information was received on March 15 that a large number of civilians were stuck at Sinthan Top because of severe weather conditions and continuous snowfall. Troops of the White Knight Corps were immediately mobilised and launched a rescue operation despite difficult terrain and heavy snowfall.
“Braving extreme weather and snow-blocked roads, rescue teams reached Sinthan Top and provided the stranded civilians with hot meals, drinking water and temporary shelter. Repair and recovery teams restored mobility of several vehicles, while passengers from vehicles that could not be recovered were safely evacuated,” the White Knight Corps said in a post on X.
Medical teams also provided assistance and essential medicines to those in need, the statement added.
“The mission witnessed seamless coordination between the Army, J-K Police and the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation, reaffirming the Army’s commitment to safeguarding lives even in the harshest conditions,” the post further said.
Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Sharma, along with SSP Naresh Singh and the Commanding Officer of 11 Rashtriya Rifles, supervised the rescue operation, which continued for several hours, officials said. (Agency)
