JAMMU, July 24: The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway remained closed for the third consecutive day on Friday after incessant rain triggered multiple landslides, shooting stones and road erosion at several locations, disrupting traffic and leaving over 1,000 vehicles stranded.
The 250-km arterial road, the only all-weather link connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country, remained blocked at Deohal bridge, Samroli and Jakhani in Udhampur district, and Banihal in Ramban district. Restoration work is underway, but continuous rainfall has slowed debris clearance and repair operations, officials said.
The prolonged spell of rain, cloudbursts and flash floods over the past six days has claimed 26 lives in the Jammu region, while six persons remain missing. Rescue teams have intensified search operations in the worst-hit districts of Poonch and Rajouri.
Traffic police advised commuters to avoid travel until the highway is declared safe. Besides the national highway, more than a dozen inter-district roads, including the Doda-Kishtwar road, also remained shut due to landslides and road damage. However, the Mughal Road and Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri (SSG) road remained open.
To assist stranded passengers, Northern Railway operated a special train between Budgam, Banihal and Katra, while over 600 tourists were shifted from Srinagar to Jammu.
The administration suspended the Amarnath, Mata Vaishno Devi, Shiv Khori and Machail pilgrimages for the day, with over 15,000 pilgrims staying at designated base camps. The Meteorological Department has forecast more rainfall across parts of Jammu, with weather expected to improve gradually later in the day. Rescue and relief operations by multiple agencies continued across the affected districts. (Agencies)
