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Land sinking collapses 9 houses in Indian-controlled Kashmir

Xinhua, March 17, 2015 Adjust font size:

At least nine residential houses and some cowsheds collapsed Tuesday due to land sinking in Indian-controlled Kashmir, officials said.

The houses collapsed after a locality caved in at village Laridora of Baramulla district, about 60 km northwest of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

All the residents were pulled out safely from the debris of collapsed structures, locals said.

"Nine houses collapsed in the morning after a huge portion of land caved in due to the continuous rainfall and snow in the region over the last three days," Altaf Ahmad, a local said. "We thought earthquake has struck but when we rushed outside, we saw land sinking and houses collapsing."

The sinking of land has created panic among the residents.

The past few days witnessed heavy rain and snowfall, triggering landslides and avalanches.

Meanwhile, the 294 km Srinagar-Jammu highway remain closed for the third straight day as a result of landslides.

Officials said more than 5,000 people remain stranded at various places along the road. Endi