Day 4: Rescue operation continues in Kishtwar

Poonch, Jul 31: There was no trace of the 19 persons as rescue operation continued for the fourth day at Honzar village in Kishtwar district on Saturday amid inclement weather, officials said.
19 persons including eight women are missing following a cloudburst on intervening night of July 27 and 28 in the remote village. Success has been eluding the search teams after seven bodies were recovered and seventeen persons rescued in injured condition after the calamity on Wednesday last.
A police official said that additional rescue teams of NDRF and SDRF were inducted and they joined those who have been carrying out the rescue operation. Six teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) with “sophisticated equipment” were earlier involved in the operation along with other rescuers from police, Army and local volunteers, the officials said.
The missing persons include Saja Begum (60) wife of Ghulam Mohidin, Khursheed Ahmed (31) son of Mohammad Iqbal, Fida Hussain (26) son of Mohammad Ramzan, Mohammad Sharif (40) son of Ghulam Rasool, Almina Tasbassum (22) daughter of Mohammad Iqbal, Mata Begum (45) wife of Lala Tantry, Ghulam Mohammad (70) son of Ghulam Rasool, Fazal Hussain (18) son of Rustom Ali Chopan, Tariq Hussain (50) son of Nazir Ahmed, Zarina Begum (40) wife of Tariq Hussain, Mata Begum (45) wife of Ghulam Rasool, Fatima Begum (56) wife of Ghulam Ahmed, Bashir Ahmed (45) son of Rustum Ali, Begum (45) wife of Abdul Rehman, Sharifa Begum (38) wife of Ghulam Mohammad, Shakir Hussain (22) son of Ghulam Ahmed, Ghulam Ahmed (65) son of Abdul Aziz, Zubaida Banoo (25) daughter of Ghulam Ahmed and Khalid son of Haji Gami.
Meanwhile, police have started a community kitchen to provide meals to affected people of village Hounzar. The police have begun the tent pitching to provide the temporary shelter at the site.
“ADGP Jammu Mukesh Singh (IPS) accompanied by Udayabhaskar Billa (IPS) DIG DKR concluded his two day camping at Hounzar who reviewed the course of ongoing rescue operations for speedy recovery of those missing due the natural calamity,” the official said.
SSP Kishtwar Shafqat Hussain, he said, is camping there at the cloudburst-hit site to supervise the ongoing rescue and relief operations being carried out by JKP, NDRF, SDRF, Army and civil administration of district Kishtwar. (GNS)