Landslides: 3 more bodies retrieved, toll rises to 20

SRINAGAR/DODA: Three more bodies were recovered today from debris of the houses that collapsed in landslides caused due to incessant rains in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

With the recovery of the bodies, toll in two separate incidents of mudslide has increased to 20.

Search and rescue workers retrieved the body of seven- year-old boy Ahmad Hajam from the debris of a house at village Laden in Chadoora tehsil this morning, a police official said, with this toll increased to 16.

Laden village witnessed landslide caused by heavy rains on intervening night of Sunday and Monday. Rescue parties immediately swung into action and recovered 15 bodies of two families from the debris of the house swallowed by earth. The boy had remained untraced.

The operation ended with the recovery of the body of the missing boy from the debris, the official said.

Meanwhile, two more bodies were recovered today from the debris of the collapsed house, which was yesterday hit by a massive landslide triggered by incessant rains in Doda district. Three persons were still missing.

"Rescuers today recovered two more bodies from the debris of the house that collapsed under a massive landslide in Diwalkund in Dessa belt of Doda district yesterday," Senior Superintendent of Police Doda, Javed Naseeb Manhas told PTI.

With the recovery of two more bodies, he said, the total bodies recovered since yesterday has risen to four.

"Two bodies were recovered yesterday. Three people who are also feared dead, continue to be trapped under the debris of the house which has come under around 18 feet of mud and slush," he said, adding a joint rescue operation by Police, Army and civil administration was under way.

"Continuous rainfall has been creating hurdles in the operation as the area is prone to more landslides. It is a remote area which lacks road accessibility thus making the movement of heavy machinery impossible", he said.

The house of one Jodh Ram had collapsed yesterday after being hit by a massive landslide burying the debris under more than 18 feet of mud and slush.