3 bodies retrieved from avalanche hit site in IoK

Three men had gone missing on Saturday in the mountainous Lolab area of frontier Kupwara district

SRINAGAR: Three bodies were retrieved on Thursday from an avalanche-hit site in Indian-occupied Kashmir.

The men had gone missing on Saturday in the mountainous Lolab area of frontier Kupwara district, about 110 km northwest of Srinagar city, the summer capital of IoK.



"Bodies of three persons who went missing on February 24 after they were hit by an avalanche at Guchibal Behak in Kupwara district, were recovered today by joint rescue teams of police, disaster response force and army," said Indian police spokesperson. "The bodies will be handed over to their families."

Locals said on Saturday a group of five residents went in the upper reaches of their locality on a hunting spree but got stuck after being hit by an avalanche. While two had a miraculous escape, the three people went missing.

"For the past six days the search for the missing persons was going on," Rafiq Ahmad, a local said.

Landslides and avalanches are often triggered from mountains during frequent rains and heavy snowfall in IoK.