Anantnag, Sep 2: A tourist from Odisha died on Wednesday after a massive boulder rolled down a hillside and crushed the vehicle he was travelling in along the Khanabal-Pahalgam road in the Mattan area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Officials said the incident occurred near the Bumzoo shrine when an cab, JK01AT-8081, carrying six tourists from Pahalgam towards Anantnag, was hit by the boulder.
“A tourist suffered critical injuries, while the other five tourists and the driver escaped unhurt,” an official said.
The injured tourist was shifted to Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag, where doctors declared him brought dead.
The deceased was identified as R Himansu Prasad Rao, son of R Pala Krishna Rao, of Ganjam, Odisha.
Police have taken cognisance and initiated proceedings.
“The area is not generally prone to landslides, shooting stones, or rockfalls. The boulder may have become detached from the hillside following intense overnight showers, which could have loosened the soil,” officials said.
The Khanabal-Pahalgam road is a key tourism route connecting Pahalgam with other parts of the region.
