The avalanche hit popular tourist destination Sonamarg, in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, at around 10:12 pm on Tuesday, January 27, as per news agency PTI.
Visuals captured on CCTV cameras showed heavy volumes of snow sweeping through parts of the resort area and engulfing buildings.
Despite the intensity of the avalanche, there were no reports of casualties or injuries. The district administration had already cautioned about the possibility of a high-intensity or high-danger avalanche in the area a day earlier, as per PTI.
Sonamarg and several other parts of the Kashmir Valley have witnessed moderate to heavy snowfall over the past 24 hours, increasing the risk of avalanches in vulnerable zones.
Uttarakhand issues avalanche alert
Uttarakhand authorities placed multiple high-altitude regions on alert after fresh snowfall raised the likelihood of avalanches. This marks the second snowfall spell in the state within a week, following heavy snow on January 23, as per PTI.
The Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority has alerted all districts in view of the prevailing conditions. A forecast issued by the Chandigarh-based Defence Geo-Informatics Research Establishment (DGRE) warned that snowfall and avalanche activity were likely in various high-altitude areas between 5 pm on January 27 and 5 pm on January 28.
Intermittent snowfall has been reported since the night of Monday, January 26, in Badrinath in Chamoli district, Kedarnath and surrounding peaks in Rudraprayag district, and the higher reaches of Uttarkashi.
Chakrata also recorded snowfall, drawing tourists, while the ski resort of Auli received fresh snow. High-altitude areas near Munsiyari in Pithoragarh district also saw snowfall, as per PTI.
Districts placed under orange and yellow alerts
As per the DGRE warning, Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Rudraprayag have been placed under ‘orange’ alert, indicating deep and unstable snow cover with a high probability of natural avalanches reaching valley floors.
Pithoragarh has been categorised as ‘yellow’, signalling limited avalanche risk.
In response to the orange alert issued by the Meteorological Department, schools up to Class 12 were closed in several districts, including Dehradun, to ensure safety amid changing weather conditions.
