Army Launches Massive Ops to Evacuate People After Landslides in Kashmir

Srinagar: The Army has launched a massive operation to evacuate people and clear roads after landslides were triggered by cloudbursts in Kashmir.

There were multiple cloud bursts over the weekend in the Sonmarg and Zojilla sectors in which three people died.

The Srinagar-Ladakh highway and the Baltak road for Amarnath pilgrims got washed away at many places leading to massive blockages and traffic disruptions.

"Army has launched a massive rescue operation. All those who got stuck in the landslides have been moved to safer places and those needing medical treatment have been shifted to hospital," General Officer Commanding 15 Corps Lieutenant General Subrata Saha told NDTV.

The priority is to open up the roads. Men and machines have been deployed for clearing the debris from the roads and restoring the vital links washed away by slush and landslides.

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"The first priority is to open the Baltal route so that the Amarnath yatra which was halted due to road blockade can resume. We will then focus our efforts for opening the crucial Ladakh road," Lieutenant General Saha told NDTV.

There have been a series of cloud bursts in Kashmir over the last one month. The Army has been in the forefront of the rescue operations.

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With the meteorological department predicting more rains over the next week, it seems the job of the Army is not over just yet.