1 feared dead, six injured as avalanches strike Kargil

One person was feared dead while six others were injured as avalanches hit two trucks and a load carrier along 434-km Srinagar-Leh national highway.
A mini load carrier rolled down into a gorge last evening after being hit by an avalanche between Gumri and Minamarg near Shetani Nallah in Kargil, 200 kms from here, official sources said today.
A joint rescue operation by police and army was launched and two persons - Javid Ahmad Malik and Abdul Haleem Wani - were rescued in an injured condition from the vehicle, they said.
One person, Gulzar Ahmad Kaloo, a resident of Baramulla district, remained untraced.

The operation was suspended late last night due to darkness but resumed this morning. However, there is no trace of the missing person and he is feared dead, the sources said.
The sources said two more trucks were also hit by the avalanches near Gumri in which four persons, three drivers and a conductor, were injured.
All the injured were shifted to hospital, they said.
High altitude areas of Kashmir Valley, including parts of Srinagar-Leh highway, experienced light snowfall, while rains lashed plains including Srinagar resulting in considerable drop in the mercury.