Landslides in J&K, traffic blocked on key highways

Due to the closure of both the vital roads, a large number of passenger buses, trucks and private vehicles are stranded.

Traffic on the 300-km Srinagar-Jammu and 434-km Srinagar-Leh National Highways remained suspended for the second consecutive day on Saturday, due to landslides blocking vital roads following heavy rain and snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said.

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The traffic on Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, the only road linking Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, was suspended on Friday, following landslides and shooting of stones at several places between Ramban and Ramsu, a road stretch of 23 km.

It was raining heavily all along the road, mostly passing through hilly areas, hampering the efforts of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to clear the road, the sources said.

Landslides at Captain Morh on Srinagar-Leh National Highway, lifeline to Ladakh region, forced authorities to stop vehicles from plying on the arterial road, the sources said.

Due to the closure of both the vital roads, a large number of passenger buses, trucks carrying essential commodities, and private vehicles are stranded at various places, they said.

The upper reaches, including the periphery of famous ski resort of Gulmarg, Amarnath shrine, Yousmarg, Sonamarg, Sadna Pass and Z-Gali received snowfall on Friday.

The plains including the twin capitals of Srinagar and Jammu were lashed by heavy intermittent rains, the sources said.