Yatra tents, residential houses, govt buildings, cars smashed; six-decade-old Kupwara bridge collapses due to cloudburst’, power supply of many areas affected as electric poles toppled
Two persons were injured while as scores of yatra tents, many residential houses and cars were damaged after heavy hail and strong wind storm wreaked havoc in parts of Budgam and Srinagar districts on Tuesday late afternoon.
A senior police officer told GNS that two persons were injured after the rooftop of Hanfia Complex at Kralkhud area of Srinagar city was blown away due to the high intensity of the wind storm.
The officer said that scores of tents used by the Amarnath yatris at Pantha Chowk in Srinagar outskirts were also damaged due to the windstorm. “All the yatris putting up in these tents were immediately shifted to SDA Complex Pantha Chowk,” he said.
The winds with high intensity coupled with heavy rains also damaged a tin-shed and an electricity transmission in Munawarabad area of Srinagar city.
Reports said that several cars were damaged in Hazratbal, Habbak, Zakura and its adjoining areas after branches of many trees broke off due to the high intensity of windstorm.
Some cars were also damaged inside the Kashmir University campus at Hazratbal after the branches of a Chinar tree broke off to the winds and fell on the parked vehicles.
Meanwhile, several rooftops of residential houses were blown away due to winds while as other buildings, shopping complexes and boundary walls of many structures also collapsed in sub-division Beerwah in Budgam district.
“The boundary wall of police station Beerwah was collapsed after branches of a tree broke off and fell on it. The building of a block development officer Beerwah also got partially damaged after branches of a Chinar tree broke off,” they said.
According to reports, the hailstorm damaged crops at various areas of the subdivision Beerwah. An eyewitness said the storm coupled with intense rain smashed windowpanes of several residential houses in the area.
Reports said that many parts of Srinagar and Budgam are without power supply after rooftops of buildings were smashed, trees uprooted, power lines and poles toppled.
Meanwhile, a 100-meter bridge built over six decades ago in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district collapsed following a cloudburst amid heavy rains Monday night.
The bridge built in the 1950s over Hyhama river connects Kupwara town with Regipora area of the district.
A local resident of the area told GNS that at around 2:40 am, the bridge collapsed due to the cloudburst.
Deputy Commissioner Kupwara Khalid Jahangir told reporters that the bridge was declared unsafe for traffic in 2008. “The bridge was used only by pedestrians. Luckily, the bridge collapsed during the night when no one was using it,” he told reporters. (GNS)
