A pall of gloom descended on Uri area of Baramulla district in north Kashmir on Sunday after the bodies of seven labourers reached their native villages from Uttrakhand state.
On Friday, at least 15 labourers came under a mountain portion when a poclain was working to make way for a road near Bansbada area of Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district. While seven had a miraculous escape, the bodies of as many others were recovered on the same day. On Saturday, after about more than 24 hours of the incident, the body of the missing labourer, a teenager (Majid Khan) was recovered from under the debris.
The bodies of seven persons that reached the native villages today include Bilal (20) resident of Uri, Sibbeer (30) of Bagna Baramulla, Abdul Rashid (60) of Uri, Imtiaz Ahmad (26) of Handlanga Baramulla, Mushtaq Ahmad (30) of Uri, J Hamid Sheikh (30) of Uri, and Gulzar (20) of Uri.
The bodies were first brought to the road from Uttarakhand to Jammu from where they have been flown to Uri in a special chopper arranged by the state government with the help of army, SDM Uri Basheer Ul Haq told media.
“The remaining body that of Majid Khan will be flown to Uri as soon as it reaches Jammu and will be handed over to the family for last rites,” SDM said.
Station House Officer (SHO), Ukhimath, Hoshiyar Pankholi had told media over phone that a group of around 15 labourers from Baramulla district were working when the poclian removed some portion of the mountain following which a large portion caved-in, as a result of which all of them got buried.
The SHO had said that a case under IPC sections of 304-A 336, 337, 338 has been registered in concerned police station Ukhimath.
District Commissioner of the area had told media over phone that a magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the incident.
