Srinagar: At least five members of a family were buried alive in Gandoh area of Doda district when a landslide hit their temporary shed on Sunday night.

The incident took place at Bhotli, 18 km from Doda, following heavy rains in the area.

SDM Dalbir Choudhary said, “Five members of a family were buried alive when a landslide hit their temporary shelter. Locals came to know of the incident on Monday morning.”

“We, along with locals and police, immediately launched a rescue operation and their bodies were retrieved from the debris. However, the identification process is still on,” he added.

“They were with the livestock in an isolated place, which was hit by a landslide because of the heavy rain in the area,” he added.

The deceased have been identified as Bashir Ahmed, son of Noor Mohd, 30; Nagina Begum wife of Fareed Ahmed, 26; Zulfi Banoo daughter of Noor Mohd, 12;  Muhammad Shairf son of Showket Ali, 8; Tasleema Banoo daughter of Fareed Ahmed, 2.

Doda along with other parts of Jammu region have been lashed by incessant rain over the past two days, forcing authorities to order closure of all educational institutions in the district as a precautionary measure