Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU/SRINAGAR, May 26: Three persons were feared killed and 12 others had a narrow escape as the rainfall triggered landslides and blocked Jammu-Srinagar and Srinagar-Leh National Highway leading to stranging of thousands of vehicles. However, the vehicular movement between twin capitals was restored partially tonight.
Reports from Kargil district said that three persons were killed after their vehicle fell into river in border town of Drass this afternoon. The vehicle skidded off the road amidst rainfall at Shamshu Kahroo and rolled down into river.
On getting information, police and civil administration swung into action but no body could be recovered as the flow of water in the river was very fast due to heavy rains since early this morning. In the accident, three persons namely Baker, Manzoor and Asgar Ali were feared killed.
The rainfall also triggered landslides at different places and resulted into closure of National Highway connecting Ladakh region with the Kashmir valley, reports said, adding keeping in view major landslide at Bazinalla the Traffic Police authorities suspended traffic on the highway.
Though the Border Roads Organization tried its level best to reopen the highway by clearing the landslides but the vehicular traffic could not be restored. The vehicles were mainly stranded on both sides of Zojila Pass, reports said.
The rainfall also triggered landslides at three different places in Ramban district which led to the closure of Jammu-Srinagar National Highway at around 5 pm. Soon after the blockade of the highway Traffic Police Unit responsible for manning vehicular movement on the NH1A immediately ordered suspension of vehicular traffic from Udhampur and Qazigund onwards.
At Seri, two vehicles came under the landslide but those travelling in these vehicles had a narrow escape.
A Tavera vehicle bearing registration number JK22-0957,which was on its way from Jammu to Srinagar and a mini load carrier bearing registration number HR56A-2330 on way to Jammu from Srinagar got struck when a huge boulder fell on the highway.
As the drivers of both the vehicles were aware that Seri is a landslide prone area, they immediately moved out of their respective vehicles and asked the passengers of Tavera to rush for safety. As soon as all the 12 occupants of both the vehicles including drivers moved out of the stretch major landslide hit the area thereby badly trapping the vehicles.
In the meantime, two major landslides took place at Shan Palace and Marog thereby badly blocking the highway. Due to closure of the highway, thousands of vehicles got stranded on both sides of Ramban. After some improvement in the weather condition, Border Roads Organization (BRO) pressed into service its men and machinery and cleared the landslides from Seri and Marog areas by 9 pm. The landslide at Shan Palace was cleared at 10.30 pm following which one way movement of stranded vehicles was allowed.
“There was complete chaos and confusion even after partial restoration of Jammu-Srinagar Highway in view of long queues on both sides”, reports said, adding “the normal traffic on the highway would be restored by tomorrow afternoon”.
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