2 Dead, 3 Injured when Kashmir ice cave collapses

[Wayne Harrison]

From correspondents in Jammu and Kashmir, India, 11:00 PM IST

Two tourists were killed and three seriously wounded Friday when a portion of a glacial cave collapsed on them at Thajwas, near the mountain resort of Sonamarg in north Kashmir's Ganderbal district.

A group of five tourists were inside the glacial cave, taking snapshots, when the roof of the cave suddenly came down, a police official said.

'A rescue operation was immediately launched by the locals and the police. We have recovered the bodies of the two tourists. The three injured people were sent to a hospital in Srinagar.

Thajwas, a small verdant valley 100 km from here, dotted by tall pine and birch trees, has the valley's huge glacial patches and is a major attraction for tourists.