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What's the story?
What was meant to be an adventurous skiing vacation in Kashmir ended up as a tragedy for two Swedish nationals. On Thursday, tourist Daniel Akesson lost his life, while his companion, Benjeman, went missing but was later rescued after an avalanche struck their skiing resort in Gulmarg.
It is said that the two foreign tourists went missing in an avalanche that took place near the second phase of Gulmarg Gandola on Apharwat Peak. Benjeman was lucky enough to be found by the rescue team of the J & K Police. However, Daniel did not survive the mishap.
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In case you didn't know...
This is not the first mishap to have taken place this year, as a group of 10 people were also killed, while 2 were injured in an avalanche that hit two of their vehicles. This incident took place on Kupwara-Tangdhar road at Khooni Nallah near Sadhna Top.
The heart of the matter
The two Swedish skiers were trapped under the avalanche in the Affarwat peaks of Gulmarg in Baramulla district.
The fact that this mishap took place despite there being an avalanche warning is a cause of worry. Authorities had said that a warning was issued on Wednesday, against an avalanche in seven districts of Kashmir until Thursday. These districts included Anantnag, Budgam, Baramulla, Bandipora and Ganderbal districts of the Kashmir division. Therefore, it is strange reason that they were allowed to take up the skiing expedition in the first place.
Another reason why such mishaps are happenings is due to the fact that Kashmir is presently experiencing a 40-day long harsh winter called "Chillai Kalan" that is said to end by the end of this month. This cold draught will be followed by another 30 days of subsiding cold, where skiing will be kept off limits.
What's next?
Despite warnings being issued, it is yet to be seen if these are implemented and followed by the tourists as well.
Author's take
The incident was nothing short of a very tragic mishap but accidents such as these can be avoided if rules and warnings are implemented well.
