3 critically injured as shooting stones hit vehicle on Srinagar-Jammu highway

Three people, including a child, were seriously injured when their vehicle was hit by shooting stones after the Jammu-Srinagar national highway opened for regular traffic on Monday, two days after being closed due to inclement weather.

Officials said the vehicle that was travelling from Kashmir to Jammu was hit by shooting stones at Khooni Nallah in Ramban, injuring six travellers seated in the vehicle. “Three people have been critically injured, while the other three suffered minor injuries,” said a police official of Ramban.

The victims, Mudasir Ahmed, his wife Rashida Begum, both in their 30s, and their child, have been referred to the Anantnag district hospital.

National highway senior superintendent of police Shabir Ahmad Malik said the child is critical and may be referred to Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura.

Malik said the road was opened for general traffic on Monday after the weather remained pleasant for the second consecutive day.

“The hilly terrain of the road has become fragile due to rainfall. So, we are witnessing shooting stones and landslides at certain places. Although there was no rainfall yesterday, there was a landslide in Udhampur,” he said.

“On Monday, we allowed light motor vehicles from both sides while heavy motor vehicles were allowed from Jammu to Srinagar,” he said. The highway was closed after heavy rainfall and snow on Friday and Saturday across the union territory.

Over the last two days, five people have lost their lives due to inclement weather in different incidents in the Valley. Two people had died after the vehicle they were travelling in got stranded in snow on Sinthan Pass in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, while three persons putting up in tents at Awantipora had died after a soil embankment collapsed due to heavy rainfall in Pulwama.

Director meteorological department in J&K Sonam Lotus on Sunday said that the weather outlook for the next 10 days is mainly dry. “Light rain or snow may occur at isolated places during November 1-2, although chances are less,” he said. The union territory was under the influence of a western disturbance since Friday evening bringing heavy rains and snowfall in the region, according to weather department officials.

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