Ganderbal, May 11: Nearly 90 sheep and goats belonging to a nomadic family from Rajouri district reportedly died after a lightning strike during the intervening night in a high-altitude forest area of Poshkar Kangan in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, officials and locals said on Monday.
The incident occurred in the Dhana Dok area of Poshkar, a remote grazing belt frequented by migratory tribal families during the summer season.
The livestock reportedly belonged to nomads identified as Mohmmad Yaseen Bijran and Abdul Majeed Bijran, sons of Khan Mohammad Bijran and residents of Sunderbani area of Rajouri district.
Locals said the area witnessed intense weather activity during the night, following which dozens of animals were found dead in the pasture on Monday morning. Preliminary reports suggested that lightning may have struck the flock during the storm.
The incident has caused massive financial loss to the affected family, whose livelihood primarily depends on livestock rearing and seasonal migration to upper reaches for grazing.
Police and local authorities were informed about the incident, who assessed the exact scale of the damage.
Such incidents are not uncommon in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir during the summer migration season when nomadic families move with their livestock to alpine pastures vulnerable to sudden weather changes, thunderstorms, and lightning activity. [KNT]
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