Landslide Blocks Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, Hundreds Of Vehicles Left Stranded

Early Monday, a massive landslide blocked the strategic 270-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Udhampur district. This left hundreds of vehicles stranded.

Traffic jam in Jammu and Kashmir National Highway (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Early Monday, a massive landslide blocked the strategic 270-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Udhampur district. This left hundreds of vehicles stranded.

The highway is the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country. At around 2:45 am, the landslide struck the highway, at Dewal near Samroli, officials told the Press Trust of India (PTI).

According to a PTI report, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), traffic (national highway), Shabir Ahmad Malik said that road clearance agencies have pressed men and machinery. He also said that efforts are on to make the highway traffic worthy.

Quoting Malik, the report said that no fresh traffic was allowed either from Jammu or Srinagar this morning in view of the closure of the highway. He added that over 300 Jammu-bound trucks and some passenger vehicles were left stranded due to the closure of the highway.

The officials said that the blocking of the highway also forced suspension of traffic on the Jammu-Kishtwar-Doda national highway which passes through Samroli as well, according to the PTI report.

This morning, hundreds of passenger vehicles had left for Srinagar and Chenab valley region including Doda and Kishtwar. However, they were stopped at several places including Nagrota bypass and Narwal in Jammu, the report said.

After a day-long closure owing to fresh snowfall in Qazigund-Banihal sector and multiple landslides triggered by heavy rains in Ramban, the highway was cleared for traffic on Sunday, the report said.

According to the report, the SSP said that barring 300 trucks on their way to Jammu, thousands of vehicles had reached their destinations on Sunday.