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Ramban tunnel collapse: 1 dead, 3 rescued; at least 9 trapped

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Rescue ops hampered by implement weather, shooting stones/landslides, says SSP Ramban; LG chairs high level meet; says rescue ops to continue till last person is reached

Ramban, May 20 (ANH): A labourer was killed and nine others were feared trapped after a portion of an under-construction tunnel on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Ramban district collapsed late on Thursday night, officials said Friday.

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A small portion of the front side of the tunnel at Khoni Nallah area of Ramban collapsed on Thursday night at around 10.15 pm during an audit, officials told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), adding that a joint rescue operation was launched immediately by police, Army, NDRF, SDRF and QRT.

Also Read: Hajj 2022: 6700 pilgrims will proceed to the annual Hajj from May 30, Div com Kashmir reviews arrangements

District Development Commissioner Mussarat Islam said that one body was recovered from the debris while 9 people are still trapped. “Three injured were rescued and shifted to hospital yesterday”, he said.

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Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ramban Mohita Sharma told KNO that sixty per cent of the debris clearance near the tunnel was completed. “Frequent shooting stones/landslides and inclement weather conditions are making it harder to remove debris covering the mouth of the tunnel,” the SSP said.

Officials said several machines and vehicles, including bulldozers and trucks, parked on the front side of the tunnel, have suffered damage, adding that those people who become victim of tunnel collapse belong to the SARLA company conducting the work of auditing the tunnel.

Speaking to KNO, the director of Disaster Management, Jammu and Kashmir, Aamir Ali said out of 10 missing people body of one has been recovered so far. “Operation has been hampered due to bad weather conditions”, he said.

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The deceased has been identified as Sudhir Roy (31) son of Manik Roy from West Bengal while as the missing people have been identified as Jadav Roy (23), Gautam Roy (22), Dipak Roy (33), Parimal Roy (38) all from West Bengal, Shiva Chowhn (26) from Assam, Nawaraj Chowdhury (26) from Nepal, Muzaffar (38) and Israt (30) from J&K.

Also Read: Delaying polls akin to accepting deteriorating situation in J&K than 1996: Omar

Officials said that Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha took stock of the rescue operation and overall situation at a tunnel collapse site in Ramban, Jammu through a video call to Ramban District Commissioner Mussarat Islam.

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The Deputy Commissioner of Ramban, DIG Dr Sunil Gupta, SSP Mohita Sharma and Senior NHAI officers have been supervising the rescue operation since midnight. Divisional Commissioner Jammu Ramesh Kumar and ADGP Jammu Mukesh Singh have also visited to the spot, they said.

An official handout said that the Lt Governor also chaired a high-level meeting with senior officials at the Civil Secretariat and discussed the progress of rescue operations. “The rescue operation was started last night with District Administration, Police, NDRF, SDRF and Army personnel on the ground. The Lt Governor, who is monitoring the situation from a control room, was briefed about intermittent shooting stones, which have been obstructing the rescue operation,” the statement said, adding that the LG expressed concern over the incident and stressed to continue the rescue operation till last person is rescued.

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Armless cricketer from Anantnag inspires nation on ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’ stage

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Aamir Hussain Lone, a resilient armless cricketer from Waghama village of Bijbehara in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, graced the stage of the popular singing reality show “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa” in Mumbai, leaving a lasting impression on the audience and judges alike, with his remarkable journey as a cricketer.

He received a special invitation from Anu Malik to attend a “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa” episode. Accompanied by his father, Aamir expressed immense happiness at sharing the stage with renowned Indian stars such as Anu Malik, Vicky Kaushal, Himesh Reshammiya and others.

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While sharing his tragic story on the show, Lone recalled that when he was eight years old, his mother asked him to deliver meals to his brother at their family-owned sawmill. “The sawmill was left operational as my family and other workers had lunch. My jacket got caught in the machinery, which resulted in me being armless,” he said.

Also Read: Man drowns to death while extracting sand in Pulwama

After the tragic incident, Lone’s father, Bashir Ahmad Lone, disposed of the sawmill. Despite his personal tragedy, Lone harboured a deep love for cricket. After completing his first year at Government Degree College Bijbehara, Anantnag, a teacher recognised his cricketing talent and guided him towards para cricket.

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“During my childhood, I aspired to be a cricketer like Sachin Tendulkar, with dreams of representing my country. However, the tragic incident shattered my dreams. Yet, my grandmother urged me not to lose hope,” Aamir said, adding that one day, he asked his grandmother to roll a ball towards him, and a smile lit up her face. “Wherever she dropped the ball, I moved to hit it. With time, I learned and perfected the techniques of cricket.”

Once he joined college, a para cricketer’s camp was underway, providing him with an opportunity to play for the para cricket team. “During my turn to bat, I scored 30 runs. This accomplishment led to my selection as the captain of the Jammu and Kashmir para cricket team,” Lone said. “In 2015, I played at Wankhede Stadium for my second national appearance, and by 2017, I had the honour of representing my country in Para International Cricket in Bangladesh.”

After hearing Lone’s story on the “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa” show, Bollywood star Vicky Kaushal expressed that he had resolved the biggest problem for him. The actor said he would feel incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to portray Aamir’s life in a movie.

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“I am glad I met Aamir Bhai today. The term ‘Bahadur’ isn’t thrown around casually, but it truly fits him. He’s a true hero, and I salute his bravery,” Vicky shared.

Lone attributed his success to his grandmother, who “played an important role in my achievements”. “Until my Grandmother’s demise, she dedicated her whole life to me. After that, I had to adapt, managing tasks independently with my feet and chin,” Aamir said.

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Man drowns to death while extracting sand in Pulwama

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A man drowned to death in river Jhelum while extracting sand in Kakapora area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district this morning.

Reports said that a group of three men were extracting sand from river Jhelum, and the boat capsized suddenly in Kakapora.

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Also Read: Sopore police crack mysterious murder case within hours in Zaloora

They said two persons were rescued on time. However, Showkat Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Lelhara Kakapora, died.

Meanwhile, police have taken cognizance of the incident.

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Sopore police crack mysterious murder case within hours in Zaloora

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Sopore police have cracked a murder case within hours after a man was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Zaloora area of Sopore this morning.

Reports said that the man identified Riyaz Ahmad Mir (50), son of Abdul Aziz Mir, a resident of Zaloora village in Sopore, was found dead under mysterious circumstances in his native village this morning.

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They said, after the incident, Sopore police registered a case in this regard, started investigations and, within hours, have cracked the mysterious murder case and have arrested the accused persons.

Also Read: Atal Dulloo takes over as Chief Secretary of J&K

An official confirmed that the mysterious murder case has been cracked, and further details will be shared in the press conference tomorrow.

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