Jammu-Srinagar highway blocked

Banihal/Jammu: A fresh landslide blocked the Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Ramban district on Saturday, leaving thousands of commuters stranded at various places, officials said. The traffic on the 270-km highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with rest of the country, was restored in the morning after remaining closed for two days due to heavy snowfall and landslides at several places.

"A massive landslide occurred on the highway near Mahar, 2 km away from Ramban town, around 2 pm, forcing closure of the road," a traffic official said. A clearance operation was launched but, given the volume of the debris, the road may be thrown open for traffic only on Sunday, as per the official.