Kupwara, Mar 5: A pall of gloom descended the Nagri area of Kupwara on Saturday afternoon when a tipper driver died after his vehicle plunged into the Pohru rivulet.
According to locals, the driver identified as Fayaz Ahmad Dar, 36, of Check Drugmulla, Kupwara, had gone to the spot to load sand in his vehicle.
“Soon after the driver left the spot, his vehicle lost the balance and fell into the river,” said a local.
The locals, after seeing his vehicle submerged in water, launched a rescue operation but could not retrieve him alive.
The locals of Nagri and adjacent villages alleged that the mining contractor had resorted to the use of JCB for excavation of sand, leaving several deep pits in and around the banks of the river.
“We have time and again brought this illegal practice of the concerned contractor to the notice of the mining department but every time our pleas fall to deaf ears,” they said. “If this illegal practise of excavating minerals is not stopped, it will take further lives.”
The locals held a protest against the contractor and demanded immediate action against him.