Avalanche Hits Gurez, Two Women Rescued

SRINAGAR, Feb 10: Two women were rescued after a snow avalanche hit the Manzgund area of north Kashmir's Bandipora district on Friday, officials said. Police said two women identified as Tabassum Bano and Shahnaza Begum went out to collect drinking water from a nearby tap when they came under a medium avalanche in Mazgund area of Tulail Friday morning. They said soon after the incident a rescue operation was launched by local residents and after strenuous efforts both were rescued alive. However, no damage has been reported in the incident so far, they added. Upper reaches of Bandipora including Gurez valley received yet another fresh spell of snow on Thursday. The road remains closed with the rest of the Kashmir valley due to the accumulation of snow. State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) have already issued an avalanche warning in Bandipora district and appealed people living at upper reaches to remain cautious and not to venture out in slopes, hilly areas, or avalanche-prone areas till the weather improves. On January 12 this year two labourers working with a Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) which is executing the work on Zojila Tunnel were killed in a snow avalanche in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district. Two Polish skiers were killed while 19 other foreigners from Russia and Poland and two local guides were rescued on February 2 as a snow avalanche hit the Affarwat peak in the famous ski resort of Gulmarg in northern Kashmir.