The 300-km-long Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was closed for vehicular traffic for second consecutive day today due to landslides at various places in Jammu region of the state. The highway is closed for second day today, police said, adding, traffic on the highway was suspended due to landslides, washing of road patches, and flooding at various places yesterday.
Due to closure of the road, 1200 vehicles, including passenger vehicles, were stranded on the highway, they said. Men and machines of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) were working to clear the highway, police said.
There are also over a dozen inter-district roads closed due to landslides, washing of roads, breaches and sinking of roads and flooding in Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Samba, Jammu, Udhampur, Reasi, Rajouri, Poonch, and Kathua districts of Jammu region, they added. Police has also asked the people to avoid travelling for the next couple of days on roads in various flood-hit areas.
Heavy to moderate rains have been witnessed in the state since intervening night of September 2 and 3 resulting loss of life and properties and closure of almost all the roads. Rainfall continued throughout the night till today morning in Jammu and in mountainous districts, making the rescue operation difficult, police said.
IAF today pressed its choppers into service and rescued 14 people caught in flash-floods in Jammu district. After the authorities alerted IAF, rescue operation was launched by pressing MI-17 chopper into service under the command of Wing Commander Anoop Sharma and carried out difficult evacuation in Akhnoor belt this morning, a Defence spokesman said.
They rescued 14 people, including 3 children and as many women caught in flash-floods in river Chenab in Patyari belt and flew them after a half-hour long difficult operation to an air force station here, he said. Since the past two days, nearly 250 people have been rescued by various teams of the Army and IAF from flash-floods in the Jammu region.
