Two engineers killed in landslide in J&K

Two engineers of a private company engaged in construction of 1,000-MW Pakal Dul hydroelectric project were killed in a landslide in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district, officials said on Saturday.

The deceased were identified as senior mechanical engineer Gurmeet Singh and resident electric engineer Vijay Gupta, residents of Jammu and Kathua respectively, they said.

The landslide occurred on Friday evening near Ikhala-Bhandarkot in Dachan tehsil -- 45 kilometers from Kishtwar town, the officials said.

The bodies of the engineers, who were working with Jaypee Group, were recovered from the spot, eight kilometers from the construction site late on Friday night, they said.

"They were part of a team working to restore the road link to the residential quarters. After having lunch, they returned to the site and were hit by boulders which rolled down from the hillock along with mud, trapping them," a company official said.

He said a rescue operation was launched after a shepherd alerted them.

A police official said the bodies were brought to the district hospital in Kishtwar on Saturday morning and later handed over to their families after completion of legal formalities.