Cyclonic storm rips through Kashmir

Srinagar/Jammu, March 20
At least one person was killed and 17 injured as a cyclonic windstorm swept across the Valley, blowing away hundreds of rooftops, uprooting an even greater number of trees, and disrupting power services on Tuesday.

“The minimum temperature has gone 12°C above normal due to steep pressure gradient over the Valley, causing a wind storm that resulted in damage to property,” Aamir Ali, Coordinator, Disaster Management Cell, Kashmir Division, said. The cyclonic windstorm began yesterday afternoon. The winds touched a maximum speed of 40 knots, with average speed being 24.7 knots, he added.

Mohammed Maqbool Magray was killed when a branch of a “chinar” tree fell on him in Kachnambal village in Ganderbal district. Many tourists had to be evacuated to safety from Dal Lake, officials said. They were accommodated in various hotels by the QRT of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) led by Dy SP Ghulam Haider and SDPO Nehru park Ghulam Jeelani.

At Pahalgam, a tree fell on a tourist hut, causing injuries to a tourist from Kolkata, Sanjay Paul. He was rescued and provided treatment at the SDH, Pahalgam, officials said.

At least 17 persons were injured in various incidents. Twenty-nine residential houses were fully damaged while 2,166 non-residential, six government buildings and 10 houseboats were partially damaged.

There are reports of extensive damage to the power supply network across the valley. The work is in progress to make the network fully functional. All commercial flights to and fro Srinagar were, however, operating normally, though with slight delays.

There is also a report of an avalanche in the Badwan area of Bandipore district. Two persons were killed, two injured and one has gone missing in the incident.

Around 200 houses were damaged in Poonch, Ramban and Doda districts of Jammu division due to the dust storm. The storm also caused huge damage to private and government property. Several trees were uprooted and the power network hit. However, no loss of life has been reported from the Jammu region so far.

Assistant Commissioner Revenue, Ramban, Ghanshyam Singh Thakur said 42 private houses, five schools, two shops and a temple had been reportedly damaged in the overnight gale.