2 killed in Kishtwar landslide; rain, storm lash Valley, HP
MERCURY DIPS Meteorological department has predicted more rain in coming days
JAMMU/SRINAGAR/SHIMLA/
HAMIRPUR :A 44-year-old woman and her teenaged daughter were killed after their car was hit by a boulder after a minor landslide in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday morning.
The woman’s husband and son, who were also in the car, managed to escape unhurt.
The deceased have been identified as Seema Gupta, 44, and Apoorvi Gupta,16.
Kishtwar SSP Sandeep Wazir told Hindustan Times that the family was on its way to Jammu from Kishtwar when a boulder hit their car at Kuligarh area of Kishtwar at around 6:15am on Saturday.
“While Seema Gupta and her daughter Apoorvi Gupta died in the accident, her husband, Bhupinder Gupta, and son Udav Gupta were rescued by police personnel,” he said.
The bodies were handed over to the family after completing the formalities, the officer said.
The family hails from Udhampur but had settled in Kishtwar.
RAIN, STRONG WINDS LASH VALLEY
Meanwhile, Srinagar witnessed heavy storm and rain on Friday night and a slight drizzle for a short period on Saturday morning.
A MeT department official said that on Sunday, light rainfall can be expected in Srinagar and other parts of the Kashmir valley. Kashmir got record rainfall in April this year and broke all records of the past two decades. The weather in Jammu, however, remained pleasant with light drizzle on Saturday.
RAINS BRINGS DOWN MERCURY IN SHIMLA
Shimla experienced light rainfall on Saturday morning, bringing down the temperature by a few notches.Una recorded a maximum of 42°C on Friday while on Saturday it was 34°C. The night temperature in Shimla also decreased by six degrees in 24 hours. Shimla Met centre director Manmohan Singh said the fresh western disturbance is likely to bring down the temperature by a few degrees in the coming days. Shimla recorded a minimum of 26.3°C, Kalpa 18°C, Una 34°C, Dharamshala 31.6°C and Kangra 28.5°C.
DUST STORM IN HP’S HAMIRPUR
Meanwhile, heavy dust storm also hit various parts of hamirpur district on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, causing extensive damage to sign boards, and power and telecom poles installed at various places.
The storm also disrupted power and water supply in various parts of the district, including Hamirpur town.
There were also reports of damage to the standing wheat crop and mango cultivation.
Farmers were upset with the unfavourable weather conditions, especially as it comes just ahead of the rabi harvest season.
Meanwhile, the administration has asked people not to waste water.