After five vehicles were buried behind a sizable avalanche on Sunday near Zojila in the Ganderbal area of central Kashmir, at least six people were miraculously rescued. According to official reports, the avalanche struck the region in the late afternoon and trapped five cars, one of which had two people inside while the others had one each. They said that a sizable rescue effort was started right away. Deputy Commissioner Kargil confirmed it, stating that all six passengers of the five cars had been rescued.
“Thankfully, there is no casualty reported,” he added.
Earlier in March, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has successfully reopened the strategic Zojila Pass in the Greater Himalayan Range. The Pass is situated at an altitude of 11,650 feet. The Zojila pass, which serves as a gateway between the Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir, was opened on March 16, 2023, after relentless snow clearance operations in tough weather conditions. This ensured that the Pass remained closed for only 68 days this year, as compared to 73 days last year and 160-180 days in the past.
The pass is one of the most difficult highways in the world to upkeep and operate because of the constant closure caused by heavy snowfall and severe weather. However, during the brief summer season, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) conducts snow clearing operations to keep the route accessible for traffic, allowing the passage of people and commodities across the region.
Beginning in the first week of February 2023, snow clearing works were carried out from both sides of the pass as part of Project Beacon in J&K and Vijayak in Ladakh.
Project Beacon, which began in the 1960s, is the BRO's oldest project. Beacon is now in charge of road infrastructure development and maintenance in key parts of Kashmir. Along with Project Himank, the BRO launched Project Vijayak in Ladakh in 2010 to oversee the building and maintenance of important roads.