Windstorms wreak havoc

Shopian, May 19: A strong windstorm on Sunday night wreaked havoc on apple orchards in south Kashmirís Pulwama district while a girl lost her life after a tree fell on a makeshift tent in Shopianís Kellar village.

An official said that in Chown Kellar village of south Kashmirís Shopian district, a pine tree uprooted by a windstorm fell on the makeshift tent of Riyaz Ahmad, injuring him and leaving his daughter, Sobia Riyaz, dead.

The official said that a strong windstorm damaged at least 17 apple farms including high-density orchards in the neighbouring Pulwama district.

ìIn Bangund village, a windstorm left a sprawling high-density orchard damaged,î the official said.

Bashir Ahmad, owner of the orchard, said that the windstorm caused around 80 percent damage to his orchard.

In neighbouring T N Pora, the windstorm caused extensive damage to a high-density farm of Muhammad Yaseen.

According to Yaseen, his orchard, sprawling over 6 kanal, suffered over 90 percent damage.

The owners of the high-density apple farms alleged that they had been provided substandard supportive material like trellises, which failed to withstand the wind.

Similarly, the windstorm caused damage to conventional apple orchards in Achan, Parigam, Karimabad, and Panjran villages of the district.

In Wahibugh village, a windstorm blew off the rooftop of a residential house and damaged a transformer in the Wanzpora locality, plunging it into darkness.