BERHAMPUR: A tragic incident occurred on Wednesday in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district when a boulder fell from a hillside, resulting in the death of a 55-year-old tourist from Ganjam district. The victim, identified as R Himanshu Prasad Rao, was a resident of Narayanpur village, located within the jurisdiction of the Gopalpur police station.

Rao, a former sarpanch of Narayanpur, was part of a group of tourists traveling from Pahalgam to Anantnag when the boulder detached from the Bamzoo Matan hillside and struck their multi-utility vehicle (MUV).

The vehicle was carrying six tourists and was driven by Arif Dilawar Khan, a local from Pattan in Baramulla district. Rao suffered severe head injuries and was promptly transported to the Government Medical College in Anantnag, where medical professionals began treatment. Unfortunately, he later succumbed to his injuries.

Berhampur MP Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy expressed his heartfelt condolences to Rao’s family and voiced his sorrow over the incident. He has reached out to the Jammu and Kashmir administration and the Odisha Resident Commissioner in New Delhi, urging for expedited completion of the postmortem and legal processes, as well as arrangements for air transportation of Rao’s body back to Odisha. Panigrahy has also called for ensuring the safe return of the other tourists who were traveling with Rao. The news of his passing has deeply affected the community in Narayanpur and the surrounding Gopalpur region.