In J-K snow, rescue teams race against time

Fifteen people were killed and many others were missing when avalanches struck villages on the National Highway. In Narwar, north-east of Ramsu, 13 people were killed when two houses were buried this morning. In Ramgarh, a woman and her daughter were killed in an avalanche. The hunt for the missing is on.

In Banihal, over 300 ITBP personnel and civilians were still stuck inside the Jawahar Tunnel. IAF choppers today dropped food packets. Snow continued to block the northern end of the tunnel. In Leh, IAF rescued 42 foreign tourists stranded in the Zanskar ranges.

Meanwhile, the villages of Waltengo Nar and Nageen Nar, located in Kulgam in the Pir Panchal ranges, have been flattened by avalanches. Some 66 bodies had been dug out from the two villages. According to revenue records, there were more than 150 households and 800 residents.

The first rescue team reached the villages late this afternoon—they had been hit by avalanches on Saturday—when a party of Armymen, policemen, revenue officials and a medical team trekked 16 km uphill from the National Highway at Qazigund.

‘‘It is a major tragedy,’’ said Nayeem Akhtar, Secretary to Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. ‘‘I think the quantum of the tragedy is much more than we know now. It seems to be just the tip of an iceberg.’’

‘‘One eyewitness account we received says that 66 bodies were recovered.’’ He said there were scores of people with serious fracture injuries. Before darkness set in, some 30 people had been rescued in the joint operation. ‘‘There is no way they can be shifted out. Army helicopters too are finding it difficult to land there. We hope we can get the survivors out by tomorrow,’’ Akhtar said.

Officials said that another village, Nageenpora, too is buried under snow and the quantum of the tragedy there will be known only after rescue operations are launched.

The State government seems to have woken up to the tragedy and established a control room at Anantnag, trying to mobilise all its resources. Butthe administration seems to be totally dependent on the Army who have literally suspended counter-insurgency work to help in the rescue effort.

Sources said that the Army has even put a helicopter used by the military intelligence at the disposal of the civil administration. ‘‘The Army has taken up rescue work on a war-footing and mobilised all its resources to help out all affected people across Kashmir,’’ said Col V K Batra, Defence spokesman. ‘‘We are trying our level best to save human lives.’’

On the other side of south Kashmir, village Halsur in Kapran area too has been buried under 18 feet of snow. Army sources said 72 villagers had been confirmed dead, more than 50 were missing.

The death toll, officials said, was likely to go up. A rescue party of the Rashtriya Rifles, along with a medical detachment, reached the village after a 10-hour trek and found two dozen survivors.

‘‘We are finding it difficult to get in touch with our rescue party and we are conducting an aerial reconnasaince to assess the damage tomorrow,’’ said Col Batra.

The government was trying to send rations to affected villages on ponies but officials said that too was becoming difficult. The Army now plans to airdrop food packets.