Woman saves sons, dies in house collapse

BHADERWAH: A 38-year-old woman saved her two sons before losing her life when a rain-triggered landslide hit their mud house in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district on Tuesday.

The mud house at Butla village of Sartingal panchayat, few kilometres from Bhaderwah town, came under the landslide around 7.30 am, trapping Kirna Devi (38) and her two sons, Michle Singh (15) and Nixon Jaryal (10).

“My mother pushed me and my younger brother to the outer room as the roof above us suddenly started coming down. Although she managed to push us, the roof collapsed on her,” Singh said.

The three were evacuated after two hours of a rescue operation by locals, police and the Rashtriya Rifles, Bhaderwah additional deputy commissioner Dilmir Chowdhary said.

They were rushed to a hospital, where Devi was dead, Chowdhary said, adding the kids escaped unhurt with minor bruises.

The official said Rs 25,000 has been immediately released by Doda Deputy Commissioner Vishesh Paul Mahajan for the family under disaster management.

The army is installing a tent accommodation for the family while a local non-governmental organisation has provided blankets, eatables and utensils to them, he said.