Srinagar, May 19: A girl was killed powerful windstorm swept across Kashmir on Sunday evening.
Reports coming from different parts revealed that gusty winds caused damage to properties and public infrastructure, blocking roads and snapping electricity.
Due to strong winds, an Alpine tree fell on the makeshift tent of a tribal family in the forested south Kashmir village of Shopian, resulting in the death of a girl.
She was identified as Soby Riyaz from Keller Forests of Shopian. The girl died on the spot. Her father, Riyaz Ahmad, was also injured in the incident.
Powerful winds swept through Kashmir spurring widespread damages to properties, electricity and blocking several roads. Initial reports of damages to infrastructure were received from many places in the region after the meteorological centre in Srinagar warned of thunderstorms with strong winds late last night.
The weather centre issued the alert predicting cloudy weather with a spell of rain and thundershower with strong gusty winds (40-60 KMPH) across Kashmir and parts of Jammu.
The winds triggered panic and fear, with many residents saying they stayed awake till late at night. “We panicked due to the thuds of flying objects and shattering of windowpanes,” said Nazir Ahmad in Srinagar. “The darkness due to the snapping of electricity further worried us,” he added.
Several areas reported power outages after the windstorm caused damages to electricity infrastructure including wires and poles. Early morning, residents from multiple districts posted photos on social media platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook showing damage to residential properties, orchards and public infrastructure.
The strong winds blew off rooftops uprooted trees in many places and left roads many roads blocked. Also, the streets were strewn with litter and damaged items in the morning.
A few metres away from Kashmir’s tertiary Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital in Srinagar, only a single lane of the two-lane road was through as a large structure of a fallen rooftop had blocked the road. Many residents alerted people in WhatsApp groups about the blockade of roads to prevent them from facing inconvenience.
The officials were yet to assess the losses with an official from the power development department saying they have started work on restoration of power. The severe windstorm followed the hottest day of the season at 32 degrees Celsius in Srinagar.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Srinagar, Dr. Bilal Mohi-Ud Din Bhat, accompanied by ADC Srinagar, conducted an on-site inspection of the Power Grid Station at Bemina to assess the situation and ongoing electricity restoration efforts.