Cloudburst in J-K; Srinagar-Leh highway closed

Srinagar: A cloudburst in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir has damaged a road, leading to the closing of the arterial Srinagar-Leh national highway, officials said on Sunday.

“The traffic on Srinagar-Leh road has been suspended till further notice due to road damage at Kacherwan in Ganderbal district,” an official of the traffic control room said.

He said the road was damaged due to a cloudburst during the intervening night.

A police official said some buildings, including residential houses, have suffered damage due to the flash floods triggered by the cloudburst.

Authorities are on the ground to provide help and assistance to those in need, the official said.

The closure of the highway has cut off Kashmir valley from Ladakh union territory while Baltal base camp for Amarnath yatra has also been rendered inaccessible.