Trucker dies as boulders fall on vehicle on Jammu-Srinagar NH
JAMMU: A truck driver from Rajasthan was killed as rolling boulders from hillocks hit his vehicle and also disrupted traffic along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway which remained shut for the second day on Sunday, officials said.
Officials said a parked truck came under rolling boulders from hillocks at Khooni Nallah in the early hours on Sunday, killing its driver Dev Ram of Rajasthan who was sleeping inside the cabin at the time of the incident. Another truck carrying LPG cylinders to Kashmir was also damaged when it was hit by the boulders but its crew escaped unhurt. Driver Gulzar Ahmad,20, of Shopian and two of his passengers, Muzamil Sheikh,35, and Sayar Ahmad Sheikh,17, of Bihar, were injured when boulders hit a cab at the same place on Saturday evening, the officials said.
Three Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)personnel were also injured when their car rammed into a roadside boulder near Tikri on the highway in Udhampur district on Saturday, they said, adding the condition of the injured personnel, who were on way to Jammu from Udhampur, was stated to be “stable”.
Multiple landslides blocked the highway at several places between Ramban and Ramsu on Saturday, forcing suspension of the traffic. More than 4,000 vehicles were left stranded after sudden closure of the highway.
Thousands of Kashmir-bound passenger vehicles and trucks loaded with essential supplies were allowed to move on Sunday afternoon after remaining stranded for over 20 hours on the 270-km highway, the only allweather road linking Kashmir with rest of the country, officials said. However, a fresh landslide along with shooting stones at Panthyal blocked the highway again for traffic on Sunday evening.
“No fresh traffic was allowed on the highway either from Jammu or Srinagar on Sunday to facilitate clearance of stranded vehicles. However, a fresh landslide has again blocked the highway at Panthyal. We are monitoring the situation and restoration work will resume once shooting of stones stops,” deputy superintendent of police (traffic) Ajay Anand said.
ARMY RESCUES NINE PEOPLE STRANDED IN SNOW IN RAJOURI
The army on Sunday rescued nine people, including five women, who were stranded in snow in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, a defence spokesperson said.
“Army troops of the Romeo Force braved harsh weather and incessant snow and rain near Dera Ki Gali to rescue the passengers travelling between Thanamandi and Bafliaz,” he said. The spokesperson said their SUV got stuck on the road due to heavy snowfall, which kept increasing. He said the troops and the local police stationed at Dera Ki Gali swung into action and reached the site immediately and rescued the people. Meanwhile, the weatherman has forecast another spell of light to moderate rains and snowfall on the higher reaches during March 12 and 13.