Five dead as landslide hits vehicles in J K's Kishtwar

Five people were today killed and nine others injured when a landslide struck a hilly road in this district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

The incident took place at Kulligad when huge boulders and debris suddenly came down from a hillock, trapping a mini-bus and a car plying on the Doda-Kishtwar road, Senior Superintendent of Police Rajinder Kumar Gupta told PTI.

He said four persons were killed on the spot, while another succumbed to injuries in hospital.

The dead included a woman, Gupta said, adding that nine other passengers were rescued and rushed to different hospitals.

He said some of the passengers of the two vehicles were heading for the Paddar valley to join the ongoing Machail yatra.

District Development Commissioner Angrez Singh Rana said the local administration was prompt in providing assistance to the victims.

The incident occurred at around 10.30 am and rescue teams were rushed to the scene and hospitals alerted, he said.

Rana said the condition of three among the injured was stated to be "critical".

He said some of the victims had come from Udhampur district for the yatra.

The 43-day Machail yatra started on July 25 and so far over 1.50 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the goddess Durga shrine.