Rescued at last
The IAF on Saturday airlifted more than 1,000 passengers stranded between Jammu and Srinagar. Some 825 passengers were airlifted from Srinagar to Jammu and 550 from Jammu to Srinagar in six sorties, as the Jammu-Srinagar highway remained
closed.
Rs500 for IAF trip
The IAF has pressed into service IL-76 and AN-32 planes to ferry tourists. The sorties also airlifted 250 army personnel to Jammu. Around 2,000 passengers have registered themselves for being airlifted through these special sorties. The government is charging Rs500 for the trip.
National highway closed
The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, the only road link between the two state capitals, remained closed for the third consecutive day on Saturday. Two spells of heavy snowfall in the last fortnight have triggered landslides leaving many stranded. More than 3,000 trucks are still stranded.
Foreign tourists saved
Ten people, including seven foreign tourists, who were trapped in an avalanche in Gulmarg were rescued on Saturday. The foreign tourists had gone skiing along with their local guides despite warning issued by the administration, the police said.