Lolab Avalanche: Bodies of two hunters found

Srinagar: Bodies of two hunters who were swept away by a snow avalanche in Lolab forests of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district yesterday have been recovered by a rescue team of Army’s 18 Rashtriya Rifles.

Official sources said that bodies of Bashir Ahmad Hajam son of Mohammad Younis and Mamdin Hajam son Najamdin of Ring Warnow were recovered by the rescue team, equipped with latest tools.

“Bodies have been seen and are being recovered,” Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Kupwara, Ambarkar Shriram Dinkar said when contacted.

Yesterday, three persons left home for hunting in nearby Rang Warnow forest area. One of them returned by evening and informed the police and administration that there was a snow avalanche in the area. He said there was a possibility that both of them might have been swept away by the avalanche as he could not find them.

Following the information, local police and Army launched a rescue operation to trace the duo, officials said.

On February 24 last year, three hunters — Bashir Ahmad, Ghulam Mohammad and Mohammad Altaf — came under an avalanche at Guchibal Behak in the Lolab. Their bodies were recovered by the Army after six days. (GNS)