Another avalanche hits Kashmir valley; 4 Army men rescued, 1 missing

Two days after the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) issued an avalanche warning for several areas of Himachal Pradesh, another avalanche struck five jawans in Jammu and Kashmir's Maachil village on Tuesday morning. 

While four Army men have been rescued so far, one is still missing. The avalanche had hit the Maachil village which falls along the Line of Control (LoC) on the North Kashmir border. 

READ | Army Porter Dead, 3 Rescued In Jammu And Kashmir Avalanche

Avalanche in J&K’s Poonch 

An Army porter lost his life while three others were rescued after they were struck by an avalanche along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on the evening of January 8, police said. 

The avalanche had hit a forward location at Shahpur sector, trapping the porters. Army rescue teams immediately swung into action and managed to pull out the porters from the snow, according to officials.

One of them succumbed to injuries while being evacuated, the officials said. High-altitude areas of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh experienced moderate to heavy snowfall, while the plains were lashed by rains since Monday, January 6.

Authorities in Ladakh had issued a low-danger avalanche warning in various areas and asked people to avoid venturing into the avalanche-prone areas during the next 24 hours, an official said.

WATCH | J&K: Army rescues four porters stuck in a snow avalanche in Poonch

READ | Avalanche Warning Issued In Five Himachal Districts

SDMA issues warning

Following heavy and widespread snowfall in Himachal Pradesh, the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) on Saturday issued an avalanche warning for several areas.

Avalanches were expected to occur in Kullu, Shimla, Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur and Chamba districts till 5 pm on January 12, an SDMA official said. People were advised to stay away from avalanche-prone areas in these districts, the official added.

There were possibilities of avalanches taking place in Banjar area, Manali-Beas Kund axis of Kullu district, Manali-Leh axis of Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti districts, Spiti-Kinnaur-Shimla areas of Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur and Shimla district, Udaipur-Killar-Chamba area of Lahaul-Spiti and Chamba districts, the official said.

Meanwhile, two avalanches occurred in the Pooh sub-division of Kinnaur district on January 8 and 9 but no loss of life or property was reported, another official said.

WATCH | Snowfall In Kashmir Valley Continues, Srinagar Turns White