Srinagar: Two trekkers from Jammu and Kashmir, identified as Naveed Jeelani and Adil Shah, died and one was injured after a rock avalanche descended following inclement weather at the Kolahoi Glacier, 26 kilometers upward from Pahalgam. Officials revealed that rescue teams along with air force and the Indian Army were sent to the spot.
Details emerged that a group of 9 trekkers, of which 2 were local ponywalas, were returning from the Glacier when three of them were hit by an avalanche after descending into the crevasse. Naveed was a KAS officer and Adil worked with Alpine group – a tour and travel group in Jammu and Kashmir.
A friend of the victims, Omar Bazaz who accompanied the family of the deceased to Aru in Pahalgam, told Free Press Kashmir that Naveed was hit first by the avalanche and died on the spot, whereas Adil was injured in the abdomen and succumbed to his injuries after half an hour. The third trekker, Haziq Beig, received a leg injury.
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The body of Adil was carried by the trekkers in a sleeping bag but according to recent updates, Naveed’s body could not be retrieved.
Rescue operations are currently on hold due to inclement weather, Bazaz said. Reports state that six trekkers are still stranded.
Bazaz said that after inclement weather had hit the group during their trek, they had opted for a roundabout route. “It’s nothing but pure tragedy,” he said.
Reports came in that Haziq was airlifted to Srinagar where he is undergoing treatment at the Bone and Joints Hospital.
Photo by Hayat Manan/ FPK.
