11 hurt as boulder hits vehicle on highway in J&K’s Ramban

: At least 11 passengers were injured, after their vehicle was hit by a boulder along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, which had to be eventually closed for traffic on Wednesday following fresh snowfall and incessant rains, officials said.

The Jammu-bound vehicle was hit by a shooting stone from a hillock overlooking the highway at Moumpassi-Ramsu in in Bannihal area of Ramban district late Tuesday evening.

The injured were rushed to Ramban district hospital. Eight were discharged after first aid, while three critically injured were referred to Government Medical College Hospital Jammu. Soon after the incident, the traffic was suspended on the highway as a precautionary measure. Nine Bihar residents and one each from Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh were travelling from Srinagar to Jammu in the vehicle driven by a local driver from Anantnag, the officials said.

High altitude areas of Jammu and Kashmir experienced fresh spell of snowfall, while the plains were lashed by rains since Tuesday night. The Jawahar Tunnel, the gateway to Kashmir, experienced fresh snowfall leaving the Maroog to Panthial road slippery, while incessant rains triggered landslides and shooting-of-stones at Anokhi fall, Battery Cheshma and Panthiyal, official said.

The highway had remained closed for over 15 days since the beginning of the new year owing to intermittent spells of snowfall and rains. Meanwhile, as many as 25 flights were cancelled at Srinagar airport owing to low visibility.