Srinagar- The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway remained closed for the third consecutive day on Friday following multiple landslides, shooting stones and road erosion triggered by incessant rainfall, leaving over 1,000 vehicles stranded and disrupting movement between Kashmir and the rest of the country.
The 250-km highway, the only all-weather road linking the Valley with the rest of the country, remained blocked at Deohal Bridge, Samroli and Jakhani in Udhampur district, and Banihal in Ramban district.
Traffic Police said vehicular movement remained suspended due to landslides and shooting stones at several locations.
Officials said restoration work was underway, but continuous rainfall was hampering debris clearance and repair operations.
More than 1,000 vehicles were stranded at Ramban, Nagrota, Jammu, Udhampur, Lakhanpur and Samba following the closure. Commuters have been advised to avoid travel until the highway is declared safe.
Besides the national highway, over a dozen inter-district roads, including the Doda-Kishtwar road, also remained closed due to landslides, mudslides and road erosion. However, the Mughal Road and the Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri (SSG) road remained open.
To facilitate stranded passengers, Northern Railway operated a special train between Budgam, Banihal and Katra, while more than 600 stranded tourists were shifted from Srinagar to Jammu, officials said.
The Meteorological Department has forecast more rainfall over parts of Jammu, particularly the Chenab Valley, Udhampur, Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts, while south Kashmir is also expected to receive significant precipitation. Weather conditions are likely to improve gradually after the afternoon, although scattered showers may continue until evening.
Officials said almost all rivers and streams were flowing above normal levels, while flash floods inundated several low-lying areas, damaging houses, shops and public infrastructure.
Rescue and relief operations involving the civil administration, police, SDRF, NDRF and other agencies continued across the affected districts.
Meanwhile, relentless rain, cloudbursts and flash floods over the past six days have claimed 26 lives in the Jammu region, while six people remain missing. Rescue teams have intensified search operations in the worst-hit districts of Poonch and Rajouri.
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