Kishtwar, Oct 29: Four persons, including a JCB driver and a policeman, died, and at least 15 others were injured after two landslides hit an under-construction road in quick succession at Ratle power project in the Kishtwar district of Chenab valley in Jammu & Kashmir late on Saturday.
Kishtwar SSP, Shafqat Bhat, who is at the site, said, “ Four dead, one rescued. JCB driver Manoj Kumar’s body, along with three others retrieved. We have rescued another man Vinay Roy from the debris. Around 10 to 15 others have sustained minor injuries in the two landslides.”
The operation is over, he added.
A police officer at the Kishtwar control room said that the two landslides occurred at the Drabshalla-Ratle power project, where a road was being constructed as part of the power project.
The deceased were identified as Police constable Mohammad Yakoob, son of Fazal Din of Mahi Nagni, Thathri, JCB driver Manoj Kumar, son of Hari Lal of Gujjer Kothan, Drabhshalla, Sachin Thakur, son of Angrez Singh of Salana and Moin Ahmed, son of Mohammad Hafiz Matto of Drabhshalla.
“A landslide hit an under-construction road of Ratle power project site in Kishtwar on Saturday, trapping several workers, including a JCB driver, under the debris,” said another police official.
A rescue team was rushed to the site, but another landslide hit the area that trapped the rescuers, he added.
In the first landslide, Manoj along with three others were trapped in the debris, and when some people rushed to help them, they were hit by another landslide trapping all of them.
