Stuck in Kashmir amid lockdown, 24 labourers reach Poonch after walking 100 kms by foot

Rajouri, Mar 29 In a surprising incident, at least twenty four laborers hailing from Rajouri district walked over a hundred kilometers in snow packed mountains and reached Poonch’s Surankote  area from Kashmir where they had remained stuck due to lockdown and restrictions over COVID-19 pandemic.

Official sources told wire service–Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the group of laborers reached Chandimarh village of Surankote area on Saturday evening following which locals of the area informed authorities about it after they were shifted to Surankote.

“All 25 four laborers belong to different villages of Rajouri district and especially from Thanamandi tehsil of the district.” said sources, adding that all were working in Valley as laborers and remained stuck for days.

“Preliminary reports suggest that all started their journey by foot from Shopian on Friday afternoon and spent their night somewhere in the snow packed mountains of Pir Ki Gali and reached Surankote on Saturday evening,” said sources.

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The laborers walked more than a hundred kilometer road stretch of Mughal Road and crossed snow packed mountains as snow at Pir Ki Gali is still above five feet but they braved all odds on these mountains, the officials who interacted with laborers, told KNO wishing anonymity.

District Magistrate Poonch, Rahul Yadav said that all the laborers are presently in medical aid center where designated teams are carrying out necessary screening.

“We are not going to allow anyone to move from here and all these laborers have been kept in the quarantine facility in Surankote,” said DM Poonch