SRINAGAR: An unseasonal snowfall in Kashmir on Saturday claimed lives of three nomads while the standing apple crop sustained heavy damage. The upper reaches of Valley, including Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Gurez and Shopian, received moderate to heavy snowfall from last evening. The plains, including Srinagar, were lashed by rains and intermittent snowfall. The snowfall and the rain led to considerable drop in the day temperature.
Due to heavy rains, four members of the nomad family from Rajouri staying in a tent near a bund at Noorpora of Tral in Pulwama district suffered injuries after their makeshift tent came under a huge debris of a soil bund which caved in due to heavy rains.
They were referred to hospital, where three of them succumbed to injuries while another was undergoing treatment. Due to incessant snowfall, apple trees in the Valley suffered heavy damages. Apple trees across the Valley. The devastation came during the harvest season when the apples were ripe for plucking.
According to Kashmir Fruit Growers and Traders’ Union president Basheer Ahmad Basheer, about 50% apple yield had been harvested while the remainder was lying on the roads. In many orchards, farmers were trying to pick up apples despite the heavy snow and rain.