Rain and landslides shut Jammu-Srinagar highway

JAMMU: Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, was closed Thursday on both sides due to rain-triggered mudslides in Jammu’s Ramban.

Hundreds of vehicles were stuck at various points due to the disruption on the highway (NH 44) at a time of intensifying hostilities with neighbouring Pakistan.

Heavy rains that lashed the area led to multiple landslides and shooting stones from hillocks overlooking the road between Seeri and Nachlana in Ramban, officials said.

A flash flood also hit Ramban town’s market but no casualties were reported, the officials added. India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for J&K for more rain from May 9 to 11.

“Traffic on NH-44 has been temporarily suspended around 7.30am on Thursday due to mudslides at Chamba Seri in Ramban district after rainy weather. The highway has been blocked in both directions as debris fell, blocking the way. Clearance work is underway,” an official said.

According to other officials, Ramban deputy commissioner Baseer-Ul-Haq Chaudhary and SSP Kulbir Singh are among a team of senior officials closely monitoring the restoration work on the highway.

Officials have advised travelers to check for updates on J&K traffic police’s X and Facebook pages before venturing out, apart from helpline numbers. “There is a possibility of rain and lightning in J&K till May 11,” the IMD said in an advisory on Thursday.

On April 20 this year, three people, including two children, died after hailstorms and multiple landslides in Ramban . Over 100 people were rescued after a cloudburst in the hilly district’s Seri Bagna village that day. In Aug last year, cloudbursts had hit Ramban’s Kumate, Dhraman and Halla areas.