7 killed as avalanche buries several vehicles at Zojila Pass

SRINAGAR: At slightest 7 radical died and 5 others were injured aft an avalanche buried respective vehicles nether the snowfall astatine Zero Point, Zojila Pass, successful Jammu and Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, astir 70 km northbound of Srinagar.A elder constabulary serviceman said the vehicles were travelling from Srinagar to Kargil erstwhile the avalanche struck astir 3 p.m. Friday. Police and rescue teams utilized JCBs to wide the snowfall and rescue the trapped passengers, including 5 injured. The rescuers retrieved 7 bodies, portion 2 persons were inactive missing till reports past came in. All the 7 deceased were residents of Ladakh’s Kargil district, an authoritative said.

Senior officials from Ladakh, including Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council enforcement councillor Mohd Jaffer Akhoon, reached the tract upon receiving the information.The Zojila walk would earlier stay closed for astir 5 months during winter, cutting disconnected Ladakh from the remainder of the country. However, with improved technology, precocious snow-clearance instrumentality and amended planning, the walk remained unfastened passim this winter, barring 4 days, which the Border Roads Organisation described arsenic a important strategical and logistical achievement.