Snow cuts off Kashmir, many flights axed
Srinagar, Jan 8 : Fresh snowfall continuing on Saturday cut off road connectivity with the Kashmir Valley and forced cancellation of several flights, officials said.
The latest snowfall, which is likely to continue till the evening, is the second major spell within a week.The snowfall, mudslides and shooting stones at several places have led to the closure of the Srinagar-Jammu highway.
“From Nashri to Banihal, the highway is completely blocked due to landslides, mainly at Cafeteria Morh, Sita Ram Passi Maroge and Chanderkote. Shooting stones have been reported at multiple locations,” a traffic official said.
The snowfall forced cancellation of many flights arriving here and departing from Srinagar.“The continued snowfall has reduced visibility at the airport and many flights have been cancelled,” said an official at the Srinagar airport.
Train operations from Banihal in Jammu region to Baramulla in Kashmir have also been suspended.The Meteorological Department said the current weather is most likely to continue for the next 12 hours.
“Expect gradual decrease in rain/snow intensity from this evening (8th) and significant improvement from 9th morning in J&K,” the MeT said on Saturday morning.
Heavy snowfall began on Friday evening and continued throughout the night. The snowfall was received in Srinagar and all major towns and tourist resorts. It caused power outage in several areas.
In Srinagar, the snowfall has made the roads slippery, slowing down traffic.
UNI