Srinagar, May 02: A boat capsized in Dal Lake near Duck Park on Friday afternoon, after which authorities launched a rescue operation that was halted late in the evening due to poor visibility and fading light.
While one person was rescued earlier in the day, efforts to locate the second individual have so far been unsuccessful. The rescue teams plan to resume their search with the first light on Saturday morning.
Officials said that the incident occurred during gusty winds when two fishermen in the lake were caught off guard. Their boat was overwhelmed by the sudden weather change and capsized near Duck Park.
“The two fishermen jumped into the water in an attempt to save themselves. One of them, identified as Abdul Majeed Khosa, son of Mohammad Sultan Khosa from Rainawari, Srinagar, was rescued immediately. Despite continuous efforts, the second person, Taufeeq Ahmad Chopan (24), son of Ghulam Mohammad Chopan, a resident of Chopan Mohalla, Rainawari, remains missing,” an official said.
The rescue operation involved teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) along with divers and rescue boats deployed to thoroughly scan the area. However, as darkness set in, the operation was suspended due to limited underwater visibility and poor lighting conditions.
An SDRF official said that despite extensive search efforts using specialised equipment, there were no signs of the missing person.
“The rescue teams will resume the search at first light tomorrow (Saturday) morning to ensure all efforts are exhausted in locating the individual,” the official said.
Meanwhile, a man died after a lightning strike in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district, while flash floods triggered by a cloud burst in Ramban District led to the closure of Jammu-Srinagar National Highway yet again, officials and reports said on Friday.
Identified as Tariq Ahmad Padder of Gansorgam, Kulgam, he died after being struck by lightning in his native village. He was rushed to the District Hospital Kulgam, where doctors declared him “brought dead.”
The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was once again closed for vehicular movement after a landslide occurred at Chamba Seri in the Ramban area. “It occurred soon after the area near the highway was hit by the cloudburst, leading to the flash floods again,” said an official.
The commuters have been advised not to travel until the road is cleared.
“Please check the status of roads before starting your journey,” a traffic official said.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Traffic National Highway (Ramban), Raja Adil Hamid, said that restoration work is underway to clear the debris and resume traffic.
He said most of the vehicles have already been cleared, while some stranded ones have been halted at safer locations. “Our priority will be to clear traffic going uphill,” he said.
Pertinently, flashfloods last month had washed away significant portion of Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and the restoration work is on.
Meanwhile, the gusty winds followed by the moderate rainfall wreaked havoc in several areas as the reports about the uprooting of a tree was received from SKICC here, leading to the massive traffic jam along the route.
Moreover, reports were received that a tree was uprooted near SKICC this afternoon amidst the gusty winds, causing a huge traffic jam along the route.