Jammu, Mar 16: One person lost his life and another sustained injuries after a landslide struck a hydropower project site in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, while a large-scale rescue operation saved 235 people stranded in heavy snowfall at the high-altitude Sinthan Top, officials said on Monday.
Authorities also ordered the closure of educational institutions located outside municipal limits in Kishtwar and neighbouring Doda district as a precautionary step due to the adverse weather conditions.
According to officials, the landslide occurred near a hydropower project site in the Dangduru area during the intervening night of Sunday and Monday after continuous rainfall triggered the slope failure.
Two workers were trapped under debris when the landslide hit the project site. Rescue teams later recovered one worker’s body, while the other was pulled out with injuries and shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment.
In a separate incident, severe snowfall at Sinthan Top left dozens of vehicles stranded along the route linking Kishtwar in the Jammu region with Anantnag district in south Kashmir.
Officials said a joint rescue operation involving the Indian Army, police and civil administration evacuated passengers from 38 vehicles that had been stuck in snow-covered stretches of the road.
The operation was launched after authorities received information that around 235 civilians, including women and children, were stranded due to heavy snowfall and harsh weather conditions.
Troops of the White Knight Corps were immediately mobilised and reached the affected area despite difficult terrain and blocked roads.
During the rescue mission, teams provided stranded travellers with hot meals, drinking water and temporary shelter. Repair crews also worked to restore the mobility of several vehicles trapped in the snow.
Passengers from vehicles that could not be repaired were safely evacuated to secure locations. Medical personnel accompanying the teams provided essential medicines and treatment to those requiring assistance.
Officials said the operation demonstrated close coordination among the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited.
The rescue effort was monitored by Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Sharma, Senior Superintendent of Police Naresh Singh and the commanding officer of the 11 Rashtriya Rifles, who supervised the operation that continued for several hours.