Avalanche hits army post in J&K, 3 troops buried under debris
JAMMU: Five Army soldiers were buried under an avalanche in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, two were rescued but the other three are still trapped under the debris, officials said.
The Indian Army’s Udhampur headquartered Northern Command said: “Unprecedented snowfall triggered multiple avalanches, a post in Batalik sector buried, two out of five rescued, rescue operation in progress.”
“Army has deployed specially trained and well equipped Avalanche Rescue Teams to rescue the remaining three soldiers,” he said.
This year, in January, at least 15 soldiers were killed after two avalanches hit a military post and a patrol along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. Between 2014 and 2016, 58 soldiers died in natural calamities.
NEW DELHI: Parts of north India received rains on Thursday keeping the scorching heat at a bay, while incessant rainfall in Jammu and Kashmir led to landslides forcing closure of the Jammu-srinagar National Highway and a flood advisory being issued in the Valley.
In Batalik sector of Ladakh, five soldiers were trapped at an Army post after multiple avalanches, triggered by unprecedented snowfall, hit the area.
Two of them have been rescued, while efforts are on to save the other three, an Army official said.
Warm conditions prevailed in the national capital with the maximum temperature settling at 38 degrees Celsius, four notches above the season's average, a day after the city witnessed record showers for April.
The minimum temperature was 23.2 degrees Celsius, the MET department said.
According to the Safdarjung observatory, the reading of which is considered the official marker for the city, Delhi recorded 0.4 mm rainfall since on Wednesday.
In Vidarbha region, Chandrapur recorded the highest maximum temperature over the plains at 43.2 degrees Celsius.
A flood advisory was issued in south and central Kashmir after rise in the water level of the Jhelum river and its tributaries, while incessant rains have forced closure of the arterial Jammu-srinagar National Highway. The downpour has triggered landslides and shooting stones at several places along the 300-km road.
Jhelum has crossed the 'alarm level' of 18 feet at Sangam in Anantnag district. Although the water level was still rising in the river, the rate of increase had showed a downward trend in the last couple of hours, officials said.
According to the MET department, Srinagar received 83.9 mm rain and snowfall since on Wednesday while Kokernag in south Kashmir received 69.9 mm of rains in the same period. Pahalgam, also in south Kashmir, recorded rainfall of 64.2 mm since on Wednesday.
Authorities have closed down all schools in the Valley till Sunday in view of the rain and snowfall at this time of the year. In Kokernag area of south Kashmir's Anantnag district, two persons are feared drowned while five others were rescued after a cab skidded off the road and fell into an overflowing stream, police said.
In Odisha, heat wave conditions prevailed in most parts with the mercury touching 42.9 degrees Celsius at Jharsuguda, making it the hottest place in the state.
Mercury hovered above 40 degrees Celsius in at least eight places, mostly in western parts of the state, while the coastal areas witnessed overcast conditions.
Sundargarh and Bhawanipatna both recorded maximum temperature of 42.5 degrees Celsius, followed by Titlagarh 42.1 degrees Celsius and Hirakud 41.6 degrees Celsius. Bhubaneswar recorded a high of 34.8 degrees Celsius.
Chandrapur in Vidarbha region recorded the highest maximum temperature over the plains at 43.2 degrees Celsius. In Punjab and Haryana, maximum temperatures continued to hover slightly below normal after light rains lashed many parts of both the states, including Chandigarh, for the second day on Thursday.
While rains brought down the mercury, it caused worries to wheat farmers as even a drizzle at this time of the season is considered harmful for the standing crop, which are ready for harvest. Ambala recorded maximum temperature of 33.6 degrees Celsius, while Hisar registered a high of 34.6 degrees Celsius. Light rains and thundershowers occurred at isolated areas of Uttar Pradesh, leading to fall in day temperatures at many places in the state. Hamirpur was the hottest place in the state with a maximum temperature of 42.2 degrees Celsius.
In Bihar, Patna recorded a high of 34.2 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal, while Dehri-on-sone in Rohtas district registered highest maximum temperature of 39 degrees Celsius
"At present, an easterly wind is blowing that brings humidity and hence temperature will not be very high," a MET department official said.