Jammu and Kashmir reeled from a cluster of deadly incidents on Wednesday, mourning four deaths that included two out-of-state tourists, alongside ten injuries from a Bandipora building implosion. These back-to-back tragedies have heightened safety alarms in the snow-clad valley.
Srinagar hospitals became scenes of despair as two tourists arrived beyond help. Taranjeet Singh of Uttar Pradesh, unconscious post his Dal Lake-area stay, met his end at SMHS. Maharashtra’s Ramchand Mahindrakar followed suit, ferried from Hyderpora hotel through JVC Bemina to SKIMS Soura, declared dead on site.
Detailed inquiries via postmortems seek clarity on these perplexing losses amid tourism peaks.
Darkness fell heavily in HMT when CRPF’s 44th Battalion head constable Harinath clutched his chest in unease, later found collapsed. Suspected sudden cardiac arrest dominates early theories, backed by procedural checks.
Over in Kulgam, 32-year-old Mashook Ahmad Mir’s bid to beat the frostbite—with car heater blasting in a closed vehicle outside the hospital for his ailing wife—proved fatal through asphyxia. Discovered inert, he couldn’t be saved.
The day’s climax hit Chandergir village, Hajin, Bandipora: a condolence crowd’s weight felled a double-storey house, ensnaring ten in rubble. Frantic rescues ensued, with five rushed to Hajin center and five to Safapora—all now out of danger.
Police delve into the collapse causation, spotlighting risks of aging edifices under strain, as the region braces for more winter woes.