Srinagar, May 02: A sudden spell of severe weather wreaked havoc across Kashmir on Friday, claiming one life, leaving a child missing, disrupting flights, and blocking the vital Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, officials said.
In South Kashmir’s Kulgam district, a man died after being struck by lightning during the storm. The deceased was identified as Tariq Ahmad Padder, son of Mohammad Shaban and a resident of Ganosargam. He was critically injured and rushed to a nearby medical facility, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
In Srinagar, a boat carrying a man and young boy capsized in Dal Lake near the Habak area due to strong winds.
While the Abdul Majeed was rescued by locals and rescue teams, the boy remains missing. He was shifted to Soura SKIMS where is being treated and as per doctors his condition is stable and out of danger.
Meanwhile, a large-scale rescue operation by SDRF and local divers was conducted and it was stopped at 9 PM. The boy has been identified as Towfeeq Ahmad Chopan.
Towfeeq’s father told Rising Kashmir that his son was working in Dal Lake, running an ice cream business.
“I got a call around 5:30 pm about the incident, and the authorities have since called off the rescue operation. Our demand is that the search must continue until his body is recovered. Locals earlier managed to rescue the man who was with Towfeeq. Now it’s raining, but we won’t leave until his body is found,” he added
SDRF Spokesman told Rising Kashmir that Towfeeq Chopan went missing after a Shikara overturned in Dal Lake near Habak due to strong winds. “Our teams were conducting continuous search operations with local divers. Efforts are on to trace the missing boy,” he said adding that operation will be launched on Saturday morning.
The storm, which brought wind speeds of up to 40–50 km/h, also uprooted several trees along the SKICC road in Srinagar, causing major traffic congestion. A Quick Response Team (QRT) of the SDRF was deputed from the battalion headquarters to assist in clearing the road. Authorities later confirmed that traffic movement was restored following clearance operations.
Flight operations at Srinagar International Airport were also affected. Two IndiGo flights—6E896/2305 (Delhi–Srinagar–Delhi) and 6E214 (Mumbai–Srinagar–Jammu)—were diverted to Chandigarh and Delhi, respectively, due to poor weather conditions.
“Flights were delayed due to bad weather at Srinagar Airport, which is beyond our control. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to passengers and look forward to serving them in future,” IndiGo spokesperson Apurva said.
In the Ramban district, a cloudburst in the Chamba Seri area triggered heavy rainfall and flash floods, resulting in mudslides that blocked traffic on both sides of the Srinagar–Jammu highway (NH-44). The highway is the only all-weather road connecting the Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country.
“Vehicular movement has been suspended due to mudslides triggered by flash floods along the highway,” a traffic police officer said, urging commuters to avoid travel until clearance operations are completed.
SSP Traffic NHW Raja Adil Hamid said it would take three to four hours to restore the route. “Our priority is to clear uphill traffic first,” he added.
By 9 PM, one-way traffic was restored on the highway. Three machines had been deployed to remove the debris. Authorities announced that one-way movement will continue on NH-44 on Saturday.
Earlier on April 20, when cloudburst-induced landslides in Ramban killed three people and damaged several homes, shops, and roads.
Meanwhile, Dr Mukhtar Ahmad, Director of the Meteorological Department Srinagar, said Friday’s weather event aligned with earlier forecasts. “Strong winds and thundershowers affected central areas like Dal Lake and its surroundings, as well as south Kashmir districts including Shopian, Budgam, and Pulwama, and the Srinagar–Zakura–Ganderbal axis,” he said.
“Intense showers accompanied by gusty winds of 40–50 km/h were reported in the Banihal–Ramban axis, Ganderbal, and Budgam,” Dr Ahmad added. He said intermittent rain with gusty winds is likely to continue through May 5, while dry weather is expected between May 6 and 8, with another round of rainfall predicted from May 9 to 11.
Authorities have advised the public to stay indoors during windstorms and avoid venturing into water bodies during adverse weather conditions.
In Jammu, due to the continuous rise in water level in Akhnoor Chenab river, the administration has issued special instructions to the people living in the area adjacent to the river.
People have been instructed not to go near the river with their cattle and instructions have been issued to remain alert.
