Army rescued 34 individuals trapped in Baramulla school hostel

Srinagar, Mar 31: Army rescued 34 persons, including 30 students and four teachers, who were trapped in a school hostel in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday after heavy rainfall caused a sudden rise in water levels, officials said.

“Continuous and intense rainfall caused a sudden rise in water levels in a stream in the Watargam area of Rafiabad (Baramulla), leading to flooding in a local school hostel. As a result, 30 school children and four teachers were trapped inside the premises with no safe exit routes,” the officials said.

The locals approached the army unit stationed there, which responded by launching a prompt humanitarian assistance operation.

“Despite challenging conditions and dangerously high water levels, the teams managed to reach the stranded individuals and safely evacuate all 34 persons to secure locations,” the officials said.

Following the evacuation, the army provided the rescued children and staff with necessary assistance, including medical care and refreshments.

The army was assisted in the operation by the police, district administration and local youngsters, they added.

A snow avalanche was reported in the Tulail area of the Gurez sector in Bandipora district. However, officials said it caused no damage as it remained confined to the mountainous region.

The valley received moderate rainfall in the plains and snowfall in some higher reaches over the past 48 hours.

Baramulla received over 70 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours, the highest in the valley. Nowgam in the Handwara area received 58.2 mm during the corresponding period, followed by Qazigund (48.6 mm) and Kulgam (42.2 mm). Srinagar city also received a fair amount of rain, recording 31.6 mm of precipitation in the past 24 hours.

The weather in Kashmir is expected to remain cloudy on Wednesday before another wet spell over the weekend, they said.