Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Nov 19: Srinagar-Leh National Highway was closed for traffic after heavy snowfall in Zojila while Mughal road was re-opened for traffic after one week today.
Police launched a massive rescue operation after a fresh spell of heavy snowfall at Zojila and evacuated several stranded vehicles and passengers.
Rescue teams of police assisted by the Beacon personnel started the rescue operations on Srinagar- Leh National Highway at Zojila after several vehicles and passengers got stranded due to heavy snowfall in the area.
After strenuous efforts, the rescue teams managed to safely evacuate all the 250 stranded passengers and 82 vehicles which include 70 trucks, four buses and eight Light Motor Vehicles. All these vehicles and passengers were shifted to Sonamarg by the rescue teams.
The rescue operation was started at 2.30 a.m and completed by morning. Police has asked the drivers commuting on Srinagar-Leh National Highway to use chains on their vehicles before undertaking their journeys.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Traffic Rural, Muzaffar Ahmad Shah, said that as the highway re-opened for traffic yesterday morning and traffic was plying from Gumri to Sonamarg, an operation was launched to retrieve body of a missing person from Zojila. He said that this led to traffic jam and it took five hours to retrieve the body and by the time it started snowing in the area leading to stranding of 80 vehicles on Zojila.
Shah said that it is still snowing in the area and so far 1.5 feet of snow has accumulated on the highway. He said that there is forecast of more snowfall in the area and once the snowfall stops, the BRO will start the snow clearance operation.
The SSP Traffic Rural said that after clearance of the Mughal road, the traffic was today allowed to ply from Shopian to Poonch. He said that tomorrow the traffic will ply from Poonch to Shopian.
Mughal road was closed for traffic after heavy snowfall last week.
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