Rain, landslides force closure of NH for 2nd day

Rain, landslides force closure of NH for 2nd dayA continuous spell of moderate to heavy rain and intermittent snow triggered landslides, forcing the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway for the second consecutive day today.
The downpour, continuing with fewer pauses over the past 36 hours, triggered fresh landslides at several places along the national highway, the only road link connecting the Kashmir valley with Jammu division, an official of the state Traffic Department said.
Two civilians died on Thursday when the vehicle in which they were travelling skidded off the highway and fell into a gorge during rain in Ramban district.
The upper reaches of the Kashmir region, including Jawahar Tunnel along the highway, also received snow this morning.
The Traffic Department official said the Srinagar-bound passenger vehicles, stranded at several places along the highway, had been allowed to move when the weather showed some improvement during the day today.
The official said several other mountainous roads were also blocked by landslides during the past 24 hours in the state and the clearance operations were on.
The Meteorological Department said rain was recorded in most parts of the state during the past 24 hours. It said the downpour was likely to decrease in the next 24 hours.
The Kashmir region witnessed a rare dry winter this year and the core period of the winter passed off without any major spell of snow. The downpour over the past week is the first major wet spell in the region this winter.
Stranded vehicles cleared
* A Traffic Department official said the Srinagar-bound passenger vehicles, stranded at several places along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, had been allowed to move when the weather showed some improvement during the day on Friday
* The Meteorological Department said rain was recorded in most parts of the state during the past 24 hours. It said the downpour was likely to decrease in the next 24 hours

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