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5 killed as cloudbursts strike Indian-controlled Kashmir

Xinhua, July 17, 2015 Adjust font size:

At least five people were killed after cloudbursts hit Indian- controlled Kashmir, officials said Friday.

Four people were killed after a cloudburst late Thursday hit village Kullan near Sonamarg in Ganderbal district, around 67 km north of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"The bodies of 15-year-old girl and eight-year-old boy have been retrieved, while as search for a woman and her six-year-old son is going on," a police official posted at Sonamarg said.

"Last evening a cloudburst hit a stream passing through the village triggering sudden flash floods and mudslides, which swept away some vehicles, livestock and damaged dozens of residential houses."

The accumulation of mud and debris of a mountainside has caused closure of Srinagar -Leh highway at several places including Sonamarg on both sides of the Zojilla tunnel.Hundreds of vehicles, including those carrying passengers were stranded on the highway.

Officials said road clearance operations have been initiated to restore movement of traffic on the road.

India's official broadcaster -- All India Radio (AIR) Friday quoted a senior police official saying flash floods have damaged crops in Kullan village, besides completely damaging 60 mud houses and causing partial damage to 190 structures.

Meanwhile, a porter died when he was hit by a cloudburst in Panjtarni area near Pahalgam, reports said.

Cloudbursts were reported from several areas of the region last evening during heavy rainfall.

Authorities on Friday temporarily suspended the pilgrimage following reports that tracks leading to shrine has became slippery in wake of the heavy rainfall.

Last week, four members of a family were killed in a cloudburst in upper reaches of Aru near Pahalgam.

The region has been witnessing inclement weather since the September 2014 floods. A downpour for two days pushes up water level in the rivers, forcing authorities to issue flood alerts.

The region's meteorological department has predicted moderate to heavy rains in the next two days across the region. Endi