Guide's body found, tourist still missing in Kashmir's Tarsar lake area

Srinagar: The body of the missing tourist guide Shakeel Ahmad was recovered but the non-local tourist Dr Mahesh from Uttarakhand is still missing.

Meanwhile, eleven tourists were rescued from J&K's Tarsar Lake area in Anantnag district on Wednesday.

Continuing rains and untimely snowfall led to floods in several parts of Kashmir Valley on Wednesday.

The situation was so grim that authorities sounded flood alert in south and central Kashmir after water level rose in Jhelum River.

At least 14 people, including 11 tourists and three guides, had gone missing on Tuesday in the Tarsar Lake area where the group had gone for trekking.

Eleven tourists and two guides were rescued on Wednesday by a team of rescuers sent up by the Pahalgam police and the civil administration.

Two persons, including the guide Shakeel Ahmad and tourist Mahesh had gone missing.

Police sources said the body of guide Shakeel Ahmad was found in the Lidderwarth area of the district.

The missing non-local tourist has been identified as Mahesh of Uttarakhand, police said.

Shakeel belonged to the Gaganjeer village of north Kashmir Ganderbal district.

Rescue teams were sent to the mountain lake to bring back the stranded tourists.

Officials later said that three guides were taking 11 tourists to sightseeing near Tarsar Lake when floods stranded them.

The Met department forecast improvement in the weather in the afternoon; however, the administration put to use monitoring systems in many districts of the Valley.

The water levels at Sangam in South Kashmir hit above danger mark.

In the heavy rains and subsequent floods, a 150 stretch of the JammuSrinagar highway was washed away in Udhampur district.

With inputs from IANS