Landslide in Jammu: There were major landslides at Kishtwari Pather and Banihal
The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway remained blocked after a fresh landslide in the Ramban district on Wednesday, officials said.
Hundreds of vehicles were stranded due to major landslides and shooting stones at multiple places along the 270-km Jammu-Srinagar highway, which is the only road link that connects Kashmir with the rest of the country.
The highway was closed on Monday and, over the last three days, efforts to restore the road for traffic could not succeed due to landslides at multiple places.
Officials say traffic was partially restored on Wednesday afternoon to clear stranded vehicles in the Banihal- Ramban sector but a massive landslide at Kishtwari again blocked the highway.
Heavy snowfall has also forced the closure of several other key roads including the Srinagar-Ladakh road and roads connecting the Line of Control (LOC) regions in Kupwara and Gurez.
"Jammu-Srinagar National Highway is still blocked due to major landslides at Kishtwari Pather and Banihal, and intermittent shooting stones at several places between Nashree and Banihal," the Jammu and Kashmir Traffic Police said.
People are advised to avoid journey on the National Highway-44 (NH-44) till the road is clear, the police added.
The administration has also issued an avalanche warning in several areas in Kashmir and people living in higher reaches have been advised to remain cautious.
On Wednesday, a massive snow avalanche blocked the Sindh River in the Sonmarg area. The river changed its course and started flowing over the Srinagar-Ladakh road adjacent to it.
Machines were pressed into service to clear the avalanche to restore river water to its original course.
Jammu and Kashmir traffic advisory
The police said that the people should undertake the journey on NH-44 only after confirming the status of the road from traffic control units.
People can confirm the status of a road by dialing the following phone numbers:
Jammu -- 0191-2459048, 0191-2740550, 9419147732
Srinagar -- 0194-2450022, 0194-2485396, 18001807091
Ramban -- 9419993745, 18001807043
Udhampur -- 8491928625
PCR Kishtwar for the status of Sinthan road -- 9906154100