Kashmir Valley receives fresh snowfall, national highway closed

Fresh snowfall was experienced in Pahalgam and Gulmarg tourist resorts of Kashmir, leading to temporary closure of Srinagar-Jammu national highway.

"There was a fresh spell of snowfall in Pahalgam and Gulmarg during the night," a MET Department official here said, adding there were reports of snowfall from few more places in the higher reaches of the Valley including near Jawahar Tunnel.

Pahalgam received 31 mm of rain, while Gulmarg recorded a rainfall of 17.8 mm, he said. Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded 20.4 mm of rainfall till 8.30 AM, officials said.

He said Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir Valley, measured a rainfall of 27.2 mm, while Kokernag gauged 17.8 mm of rains. Kupwara, in north Kashmir, received 45.8 mm of rains during the night, the official said.

"The arterial Srinagar-Jammu National Highway remained closed for the second day due to snowfall around Jawahar Tunnel in Qazigund area and landslides at several places," Inspector General of Traffic, Kashmir, Munir Khan told PTI.

Khan said the continuous rainfall had led to landslides near Panthal area along the route which rendered it unsafe for heavy vehicles.

"The heavy vehicles have been stopped near Jammu and are not being allowed to ply," he said.