The Kafnu Village in Kinnaur district near Shimla was hit on February 5, 2013 by an avalanche which killed seven people. The district had already received six feet of snowfall, even as relief and rescue operations continue in the area.
Kalpa Prashant Deshta, the sub-divisional magistrate said that the avalanche struck Kafnu Village on Tuesday night and gripped two houses in its fold. Deshta added, “So far we have received information about seven casualties. (The) avalanche came in the Munu nullah near Panchayat ghar of Kafnu village. Residents of six houses were evacuated on Tuesday night itself”.
Emergency hospital and fire services in the Kinnaur district have been kept ready at the district headquarters Reckong Peo. The area also faced a power outage, but the electricity was restored on Tuesday. However once again on Wednesday the whole district went in to darkness.
Moreover, the sliding glaciers in the nullahs across the district have forced the people in Kinnaur to remain inside their homes. For the last three years, the tribal areas of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti and areas of Pangi-Bharmour in Chamba have been witnessing heavy snowfall. Water pipes have frozen and the power supply has also snapped, leaving people with no options other than to remain in darkness.
