Kashmir Impulse Desk
Srinagar, Sep 02
A tourist from Odisha died on Wednesday after a boulder rolled down a hillside and struck the vehicle in which he was travelling on the Khanabal-Pahalgam road in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, officials said.
The incident occurred near the Bumzoo shrine in the Mattan area when the boulder hit a taxi carrying six tourists travelling from Pahalgam towards Anantnag.
One tourist suffered critical injuries, while the other five passengers and the driver escaped unharmed, an official said.
The injured man was taken to Government Medical College in Anantnag, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Police identified the deceased as R Himansu Prasad Rao, son of R Pala Krishna Rao, from Ganjam district in Odisha.
Police have taken cognisance of the incident and initiated proceedings.
Officials said the area was not generally considered prone to landslides, shooting stones, or rockfalls.
They said the boulder may have become detached from the hillside after overnight showers loosened the soil.
The Khanabal-Pahalgam road is a major route connecting the tourist destination of Pahalgam with other parts of the region.
