A huge boulder rolled down a 100-feet high waterfall in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir today, killing seven people and injuring 30 others, police said.
A group of people, mostly youngsters, were bathing under the Siar Baba waterfall, one of the biggest in north India, at Talwara, 10 kilometers from Reasi town, when the loose rock and other debris fell on them, Senior Superintendent of Police, Reasi, Tahir Sajad Bhat told PTI.
He said seven people were killed and 30 injured in the incident.
A large number of people had gathered at the spot to spend Sunday holiday. Many of them were bathing under the waterfall when the incident occurred around 3.30 pm.
The others present at the scene rushed to rescue those trapped under the debris. They were joined by police with JCB machines, another police officer said, adding the rescue operation was going on when reports last came in.
He said the death toll might rise as the condition of many injured people was critical.
Most of the dead and injured belonged to Jammu district, the officer said.
The injured included Ashok Kumar and his five-year-old son from Uttar Pradesh.
Eight boys and girls and seven women were undergoing treatment at local hospitals, the officer said.
Those injured were shifted to the Reasi district hospital in private cars, as the administration alerted the hospital authorities and additional staff, including doctors and paramedics, was rushed to attend to the injured people, he said.
Many people involved in the rescue operation complained that only one doctor was present at the hospital at the time the injured people were admitted for treatment.
Governor N.N. Vohra expressed grief over the loss of lives in the "unfortunate hill slide incident" and asked the Chief Executive Officer, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Dheeraj Gupta to ensure that the cost of the entire treatment provided to the injured was borne by the shrine board.
Gupta informed the governor that 31 people were receiving treatment at the shrine board super speciality hospital at Kakriyal. Of these, the condition of three people was "critical".
National Conference Vice President and former chief minister Omar Abdullah expressed grief and shock over the incident.
My heart goes out to all those who lost their dear ones in the tragic incident," Omar said in a statement here.
Provincial President of the party, Devender Singh Rana, said he spoke to senior administration officers and sought specialized treatment for all those injured.