On camera, massive avalanche hits Sonamarg tourist resort in J&K

SRINAGAR: An avalanche hit Sonamarg tourist resort in Jammu and Kashmir late Tuesday night, but there was no loss of life, officials said.

They said the avalanche hit Sonamarg resort in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district at 10.12 pm on Tuesday, according to news agency PTI.




The massive avalanche was caught on CCTV camera, showing snow engulfing buildings, officials said.

Also read | J&K: BRO rescues 40 soldiers, other civilians stranded by heavy snowfall in Doda

However, they added there were no reports of any loss of life.

President, Beopar Mandal Sonamarg, Furqan Shera, said the avalanche struck the truck yard area of Sonamarg. He added that no damage has been reported so far. According to him, CCTV footage captured strong winds generated by the avalanche, which also affected the nearby Sonamarg village.

The authorities had on Monday warned of a high-intensity or high-danger avalanche in the district.

Sonamarg and most other parts of the valley received moderate to heavy snowfall over the last 24 hours.

Srinagar airport saw all 58 scheduled flights, including 29 arrivals and 29 departures, cancelled on Tuesday due to unsafe runway conditions caused by continuous snowfall, leaving hundreds of tourists stranded.

While the Valley, including Srinagar, recorded light to moderate snowfall, higher-altitude areas received heavy snow, with tourist resorts such as Sonamarg, Gulmarg, and Pahalgam transformed into winter wonderlands.

The Srinagar-Jammu national highway was closed due to snow accumulation between the Qazigund and Banihal stretch, officials said, adding that no traffic was being allowed even as snow clearance operations were underway.

Train services were also affected, with a few trains between Banihal and Budgam cancelled earlier in the day. Officials said operations resumed in a few hours once the tracks were cleared.

District administrations and police have set up control rooms and helpline numbers to assist the public. In snowbound areas where roads remained blocked, police personnel were seen carrying patients on stretchers to ensure they reached medical facilities.