Highway reopens for one-way LMVs

Srinagar: A soldier was killed and four other injured when a snow avalanche struck army camp in Kargil in Ladakh while a house was destroyed when it came under a landslide at Karnah in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, official sources told Press Bureau of India on Saturday. Meanwhile, sunshine brought some respite from prevailing cold and also led to the opening of Srinagar-Jammu highway after three days of closure due to landslides and snow at several stretches on the 300-kilometer long highway.    Official sources said that a remote camp of 168 field regiment of army at Chanagund, 16 km from Kargil town in Ladakh region, came under a snow avalanche overnight and swept along five personnel. The army launched instant rescue operations and evacuated all the five personnel buried under the snow mass. While two of them suffered serious wounds, the others had minor injuries and were accordingly discharged, they said.   Later, sources said, one the critically injured soldiers, Sepoys Rajiv succumbed to his wounds while condition of other, Santosh Kumar was stated to be critical.   One house, belonging to Abdul Lateef son of Abdul Karim, was destroyed at Amroie in Karnah when it came under a landslide, a police spokesman said here. “However, no loss of life was reported in the incident,” he said. Meanwhile, Srinagar-Jammu highway, lone surface link to valley with outside world, reopened this morning for Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs), SSP uperintendent of police (SSP) highways (Urban) G M Wadoo told.The highway had been closed on March 2 due to landslides triggered by heavy rain and snowfall near Jawahar Tunnel, Banihal and Patnitop areas.“Traffic was allowed from Jammu to Srinagar,” Mr Wadoo added. Nearly 400 vehicles, including many passenger vehicles, had been stranded at various points of the highway due to the closure for past three days.