Gusty winds wreak havoc in Kashmir; Four killed

"The rooftops of several houses and sheds were damaged while many trees were uprooted due to the winds and cloudburst in several parts of Kashmir," a senior officer in the J&K administration said.

Srinagar:Gusty winds accompanied by isolated showers and hailstorms on Monday afternoon wreaked havoc in several parts of Kashmir. At least four persons were killed, besides orchards, residential houses and vehicles were damaged. "The rooftops of several houses and sheds were damaged while many trees were uprooted due to the winds and cloudburst in several parts of Kashmir," a senior officer in the J&K administration said. Assessment of the damages will be done on Tuesday, he added.

"In south Kashmir's Anantnag district, a woman ( identified as 35-year-old Meenu Jan, wife of Khursheed Ahmad Gareeb of Batengoo Anantnag) was killed after she came under a flying roof (tin) sheet near her residence," the official said. Three non-local brick kiln workers also lost their lives in Budgam after they came under cloudburst. "Three non-locals, identified as Bure, wife of Saleem Mansoori (45), her two sons Kaiser Mansoori (20) and Mohammad Rayees (20) were killed after a cloudburst hit a brick kiln at Chandapora area of Central Kashmir's Budgam district," the official said, adding, "the trio are residents of Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district." He further said, "a 25-year-old woman (identified as Shakeela Bano, wife of Firdous Ahmad Mir of Lar), sustained injuries in Ganderbal district after a rooftop of a guard room at Ziyarat Shah Sadiq Qalandar Lar hit her. She is being treated at SKIMS, Soura."

Meanwhile, these winds coupled with rain wreaked havoc in parts of north Kashmir too. Rooftops of several residential and commercial structures were blown away while trees were uprooted. "We have received reports that dozens of residential houses and electric transmission lines got damaged while trees were uprooted due to strong winds in several areas of north Kashmir including Sopore and Bandipora," the official said while claiming that assessment is being conducted at the local level.

According to the officer, traffic movement on interior roads of Kashmir, including the Srinagar city, was also halted after several trees fell on the ground due to winds. However, Deputy Director Meteorological department (MeT), Mukhtar Ahmad predicted that there is a possibility of a rise in maximum temperature in the Jammu division and Kashmir parts, especially in northern districts in the next 48 hours.