One tourist from Russia has died after a massive avalanche hit Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir, today. The town is popular as a ski resort and the Russian tourist was also a skier, a part of a team. Seven skiers from Russia were hit by the avalanche out of which, six have been rescued.
Helicopters were deployed for search and rescue operations. The massive avalanche hit the upper reaches of Gulmarg near the Kongdoori slopes. The foreigners had gone to the ski slopes without locals, as per media reports.
Army personnel and a patrolling team of the Jammu and Kashmir administration were called to carry out rescue-cum-search operations.
Visuals from the aftermath of the avalanche have shown tourists stuck in knee-deep snow and a civilian helicopter hovering over the area. A snowmobile, a vehicle that is often used by tourists for adventure sports in Gulmarg, is stuck in the snow, a carpet of which has covered the slope entirely after the avalanche.
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Gulmarg had witnessed a dry spell in the first few weeks of January and has seen massive snowfall since the beginning of February this year. The town, is well- known for its scenic beauty round-the-year and world-class skiing slopes. It has become a hotspot for adventure seekers and tourists from across the world after snow falls each year. Consequently, after the recent snowfall that ended over two months of dry spells, tourists have thronged Gulmarg.
The lack of snow during peak winter left those connected with tourism disappointed. Winter sports lovers wait eagerly all year to see the locale turned a pristine white as snow falls in the region. This finally happened towards the end of January bringing a lot of cheer to both the locals and the tourists. Instagram reels were filled with visuals of Gulmarg locales.
Notably, earlier this month, a massive avalanche struck the Sonamarg area on Srinagar-Leh Highway. The officials said the avalanche occurred near the workshop for Zojila tunnel construction in Sonamarg. However, no damage was reported in the incident.
Concerned authorities had issued an avalanche warning for the higher reaches of Kashmir Valley following heavy snowfall in the first week of February.
Bengali