VIDEO: Avalanche kills two Polish skiers in Kashmir, 21 others rescued
- 01 Feb 2023
Two Polish skiers were killed and 21 other people rescued in Kashmir on Wednesday after an avalanche swept through the popular ski resort of Gulmarg, police said.
The skiing group was made up of Russian and Polish nationals and two local guides, police said.
A rescue operation was launched following the incident, Kashmir's police chief Vijay Kumar told Reuters, and two bodies were recovered. Police later said 21 skiers and two local guides had been accounted for.
The skiers were hit by the avalanche in the Affarwat area of Gulmarg, Kumar said, days after heavy snowfall in the hills of Kashmir.
Police identified the two Polish skiers as Krzysltof, 43, and Adam Grzech, 45. Their bodies have been moved to a hospital.
A video of the avalanche shared on social media, which Reuters could not immediately verify, showed a wall of snow roaring down a mountain side, sending skiers and other onlookers scurrying for safety.
The Pirpanjal mountain range in the western Himalayas is a popular skiing destination for both Indians and foreigners.
In 2010, at least 17 Indian soldiers were killed after an avalanche hit the Indian army’s High Altitude Warfare School in Gulmarg during a training session.
Avalanches and landslides are common in Kashmir and have caused heavy death tolls for the Indian and Pakistani armies camped near the mountainous and forested militarised Line of Control that divides Kashmir between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
Agencies
