Twenty years later, a village in south Kashmir still remembers the avalanche that buried homes, erased entire families, and revealed the extraordinary strength of a community long before help arrived. Waltengoo Nard, an upper-belt settlement in the Kund Valley of Kulgam district near Qazigund, about 80 kilometres from Srinagar lies tucked beneath the Pir Panjal range. The area is home largely to Scheduled Tribe Gujjar families, whose lives are shaped by altitude, livestock, and an intimate knowledge of the mountains. Winters here are long; snow is not an exception but a way of life.

But on February 18, 2005, the snow ceased to be familiar. The snow continued to fall without interruption for three days before the disaster started. The fog covered the mountains which made it impossible to see anything beyond. Roads were blocked, electricity snapped, and the belt of Waltengoo Nard was cut off. People stayed indoors, listening to the weight of snow pressing against rooftops.

Then the mountain moved. An avalanche tore through Waltengoo Nard, descending with a force that erased houses, buried families, and dragged livestock in its wake. Within minutes, the entire settlement vanished beneath tonnes of snow. Where homes once stood, there was only an unbroken white silence.

The first warning did not come through any official channel. It came from a villager. Rajwali; (now 65) and a resident of Waltengoo Nard witnessed the devastation and took the most dangerous route out: the narrow stream path leading to Waltengoo village in the Kund Valley. Battling knee-deep snow, dense fog, and sheer exhaustion, he pressed on until he reached the village with news that would change everything. Snow, he said, had violently shifted from the higher reaches, engulfing homes and people alike. Many were still trapped beneath it.

With no machinery, no external rescue teams, and no time to wait, the people of Waltengoo and nearby villages gathered immediately. Men, young and old, moved towards the avalanche-prone area despite the continuing snowfall and near-zero visibility. What they saw was devastation and only a few rooftops visible. The rest lay buried beneath layers of snow so deep that the ground itself seemed lost.

Using nothing but shovels, wooden tools, and bare hands, villagers began digging. They used their memory to recall three specific locations which included the place where a house existed, the site where a family slept and the area which served as the cattle’s normal tethering point. In Tribal settlements of the Jammu and Kashmir region, homes follow patterns shaped by terrain, wind, and snow. That sort of information served as the sole pathway to follow. People were pulled out alive. Many were not. The people who survived the disaster along their saved livestock were taken to safer neighbouring locations. Makeshift shelters were also arranged. Fires were lit and the food was shared. The rescue operations continued throughout the night until all the bodies had been recovered. Those who lost their lives were laid to rest there itself, their last rites were performed amid silence and grief.

By the time official rescue teams reached Waltengoo Nard, locals had already done what they could in the most crucial hours. The extent of destruction exceeded all comprehension. Official records later confirmed that around 175 people were killed while around 25 remained missing which brought the death toll close to 200. More than 400 livestock animals perished which caused severe damage to the agricultural economy of the area. Nearly 100 houses locally called as chulas were damaged or destroyed, leaving entire families without shelter in the heart of winter.

Among the several narratives that surfaced from the wreckage, one stood apart. A woman trapped in the disaster zone went into labour and delivered a baby boy amid chaos, cold, and uncertainty. Today, he is known as Toofan Khan, a child born on a day when death surrounded the village.

The government rescue and relief teams eventually reached Waltengoo Nard although bad weather conditions made their work progress at a slower rate. Rescue operations extended for almost 20 days which involved the participation of both security forces and disaster response units. Bodies were recovered gradually, some never found. As relief and rehabilitation followed, the government announced relief measures which included financial aid, construction of houses, road restoration and revival of electricity supply. Two rehabilitation colonies at Nabugh and Vasaknag areas of Kund Valley were established to resettle affected families. While many families were accommodated, some are still waiting.

The disaster brought national attention to the acts of extraordinary bravery which local people showed during the emergency situation. Nisar Ahmad Naikoo, currently a government teacher and a prominent social worker, was honoured with both national and state awards for his courageous role in saving lives during the avalanche. His actions demonstrated the selfless spirit that defined the community’s response during those harrowing days.

Waltengoo village of Kund Valley emerged as the backbone of both rescue and rehabilitation. From digging through snow to sheltering survivors, from sharing food to rebuilding lives, the community stepped in where institutions could not reach immediately. Every year, February 18 is observed as a “Black Day” in Waltengoo Nard. The locals along with the priests assemble to perform Dua-e-Magfirat (Prayers for the deceased). The rituals are quiet, the remembrance solemn. There are no slogans, only names recalled and silences respected.

As climate patterns become increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather events continue to strike the Himalayas, that winter morning feels less like a distant memory and more like a crucial lesson. As this act of remembering has quietly transformed into a state of vigilance in Waltengoo Nard, the avalanche of 2005 is not just a memory marked by prayers. It has fostered a heightened awareness of how delicate life in the mountains truly is. The disaster laid bare both our vulnerabilities and our strengths: while outside institutions arrived late, it was the community that sprang into action first. The takeaway remains clear, being prepared means understanding the landscape, valuing local knowledge, and recognizing remote settlements as vital frontlines in a world where natural uncertainties are on the rise.

Nearly two decades later, roads connect the region better. Electricity reaches higher than before. Yet the vulnerability remains. As extreme weather events become more frequent in the Himalayan region, the avalanche of 2005 stands as an early warning of fragile ecosystems, exposed communities, and the cost of delayed response. It also reads less like a tragedy of the past and more like a warning for the future.

The snow has long melted from the slopes of Waltengoo Nard. But in the upper belt beneath the Pir Panjal, the mountain is still listened to closely, because memory remains frozen in time, of a day when the mountains moved, lives were buried, and a village learned what survival truly meant.

Saqib Mushtaq Naikoo is pursuing Master’s degree at the Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.

© Greater Kashmir