SRINAGAR: At least seven people died and five others were injured after an avalanche buried several vehicles under the snow at Zero Point, Zojila Pass, in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, about 70 km north of Srinagar.A senior police officer said the vehicles were travelling from Srinagar to Kargil when the avalanche struck around 3 pm Friday. Police and rescue teams used JCBs to clear the snow and rescue the trapped passengers, including five injured. The rescuers retrieved seven bodies, while two persons were still missing till reports last came in. All the seven deceased were residents of Ladakh’s Kargil district, an official said.Senior officials from Ladakh, including Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council executive councillor Mohd Jaffer Akhoon, reached the site upon receiving the information.The Zojila pass would earlier remain closed for nearly five months during winter, cutting off Ladakh from the rest of the country. However, with improved technology, advanced snow-clearance equipment and better planning, the pass remained open throughout this winter, barring four days, which the Border Roads Organisation described as a significant strategic and logistical achievement.
