'Tired of seeing frozen bodies'

2005-02-26 13:58

Srinagar - The death toll from avalanches that smashed through six villages in Indian Kashmir hit 249 as rescue workers struggled Saturday through huge snowdrifts to bring help to survivors.

Five more bodies were dug out from the snow overnight in the worst-hit village of Waltingo, bringing the death toll to 249, police officer Javed Maqdoomi said in summer capital Srinagar.

Residents of nearly 20 Kashmir villages had been cut off by the heaviest snowfall in two decades, authorities said, adding they had no clue about their fate. It was not immediately known how many people were living in the villages.

"It's difficult to make a real assessment about damage to life and properties in these inaccessible areas," a government statement said.

"The local administration with the help of the army is making an all-out effort to provide relief to the affected people."

The army, which has called the avalanches "an unprecedented catastrophe", has blamed bad weather that blocked highways and prevented flights for delays in reaching many areas.

More than 150 people have died in Waltingo alone from the avalanches.

"I'm fed up with seeing frozen bodies, it's too sad," said volunteer rescue worker Mohammad Abbas in Waltingo. "I've been coming here since last Sunday from my village nearby and all I have been doing is digging out bodies."

Scores of other residents of the village were still missing and presumed buried under the heavy blanket of snow, said residents of the village nestled in the Himalayan foothills.

On Friday, army medical teams began arriving in hard-hit areas to treat the injured and dig out the dead.

Used bare hands to retrieve bodies

Until then, survivors and volunteers had been relying on rudimentary first aid to treat broken limbs, frostbite and other ailments, and using farm tools and bare hands to retrieve bodies.

Mainly Muslim Kashmir has a massive army presence as the Indian government is seeking to suppress a 15-year-old Islamic revolt against its rule that has left tens of thousands dead.

Maqdoomi said security forces, with the help of villagers, had rescued 371 people of whom 42 had suffered serious injuries.

Special snow tents that the army uses to protect soldiers guarding its frontier with Pakistan in the icy Himalayan reaches were being distributed to shield villagers from the sub-zero temperatures.

Some 277 people have died from avalanches and sub-zero temperatures during the past two weeks in Kashmir.

Medical teams were working round-the-clock to treat the injured in hospitals and community kitchens had been set up to help people affected by the snowfall.

Meanwhile, as authorities sought to clear roads and bring relief to victims of the snow, more militant-related violence struck the scenic state.

Soldiers shot dead four rebels in overnight raids on two rebel hideouts in the state's southern snowbound district of Udhampur, a police spokesperson said.

- AFP