Seven people have been confirmed dead as heavy rain and snow have fallen across Kashmir on Thursday 6 April 2017. Five of the deaths were caused by avalanches caused by snowfall in the Ladakh Region, with three soldiers killed and another three injured following an avalanche in Batalik and two civilians, a father and son, killed in another incident in Kargil. A number of other people are missing in the area, and may have also lost their lives in avalanches. In Rajouri District a woman died after being stuck by lightning, while a young girl was swept away by a flach flood in Kupwara District.
Indian soldiers rescuing civilians from flooding in Jammu and Kashmir this week. SSBCrack.
The Jammu and Kashmir region is extremely prone to flooding events, particularly in the in
the monsoon season in July and August, when rainfall often exceeds 650
mm per month in many areas, but the state has a fairly wet climate year
round and rainfall in excess of 40-50 mm per month in January-March is
not unusual, while about 85 mm is typical for April. Significant snowfall this late in the year is unusual, and likely to result in avalanches, as new snow falls onto unstable old snow which has begun to melt in the spring thaw.
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