Jammu-srinagar highway blocked by fresh landslips
JAMMU/SRINAGAR: Heavy rains in plains and snow in the upper reaches of Jammu and Kashmir continued to disrupt normal life on Saturday.
Fresh landslides were witnessed at around a dozen places on Jammu-srinagar national highway. Poor visibility also affected flights in Srinagar. “All the 40 flights scheduled to operate at the Srinagar airport had to be cancelled due to snowfall,” an official of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) said.
Jammu-srinagar national highway was blocked due to overnight rains and snow that triggered fresh slides in Ramban district.
SSP traffic, national highway, Shabir Malik said that 86 passengers, who were left stranded at Sita Ram Passi, were rescued in the wee hours of Saturday and shifted to a community hall in Ramban. The train service between Banihal and Baramulla section was also suspended.
Jammu-poonch highway was also closed after fresh snowfall on Saturday.
Mughal Road, another highway connecting Kashmir
with Jammu via Rajouri, has been also closed due to accumulation of more than three feet of snow.
Vaishno Devi cave shrine in Trikuta hills witnessed fresh snowfall on Saturday morning.
A head constable, Abdul Rashid, was injured when an official vehicle of a police officer rolled down a gorge at Patnitop on Friday evening.
The MET office has issued ‘orange’ alert for J&K on Saturday. “Expect gradual decrease in rain and snow from Saturday evening. There will be a significant improvement from Sunday morning,” said Sonam Lotus, director of the MET office.
6-month-old washed away in Kathua
A six month old baby boy was washed away in a flashflood in Kathua’s Malhar on Saturday. Kathua SSP Ramesh Kotwal said, “Despite heavy rains and swollen rivers, a family was crossing a nullah in Billawar area on Saturday, when the boy slipped out of the lap of his mother.” In Kashmir, the impact of snow was more in southern parts and upper reaches. Some places in south Kashmir witnessed more than 2 feet of snow.