A woman was killed in a landslide, and her two teenage children injured, when they were struck by a landslide close to their home at Sailanjan in the Reasi District of Jammu and Kashmir on 5 July 2013. The woman has been named as Reeta Devi (38), wife of Ram Chand, and her children as daughter Kamlesh (16) and son Rakesh Kumar (15). All three were taken to Reasi District Hospital, where it was realized that Reeta Devi was too badly injured to be treated there and referred to the Government Medical College in Jammu, but did not survive the journey.
The approximate location of the 5 July 2013 Sailanjan landslide. Google Maps.
The Himalayan region has suffered a series of flooding and weather-related events since the onset of the Monsoon Season in June. This has lead to a number of landslide events, as well as rivers bursting their banks and the partial collapse of the Chorabari Glacier in Uttarakhand. Landslides are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to flow like liquids. Approximately 90% of all landslides are caused by heavy rainfall, but the situation in Uttarkhand is thought to have been made much worse by extensive deforestation, sand extraction and quarrying (much of it illegal) and unregulated building construction across the affected area.
See also Two women killed in landslide in Darchula District, Nepal, Two killed in Nepal Landslide, Man killed in Kerala Landslide, Hundreds feared dead after collapse of Chorabari Glacier and Three workers killed in landslide at Mumbai quarry.
Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.
