A massive avalanche hit the Sonamarg tourist resort in Jammu and Kashmir late Tuesday night, but there was no loss of life, officials said.
According to officials, the avalanche struck the resort area in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district at 10.12 pm on Tuesday. The intensity of the snow slide was captured on CCTV cameras, showing snow engulfing streets and buildings within seconds.
However, officials said there were no reports of any loss of life. Chilling footage of the incident later emerged online, showing a calm valley before a huge cloud of snow swept through the area. No people were visible on the roads at the time.
Prior avalanche warning issued
Officials said the incident occurred a day after authorities had warned of a high-intensity or high-danger avalanche in the district.
Sonamarg and several other parts of the Kashmir Valley received moderate to heavy snowfall over the last 24 hours, significantly increasing avalanche risk.
The Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory Disaster Management Authority (JKUTDMA) had issued avalanche warnings for 11 districts, including Ganderbal, Anantnag, Bandipora, Baramula, Kulgam and Kupwara in Kashmir, and Doda, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri and Ramban in the Jammu region. The warnings were effective till Tuesday evening, PTI reported.
Flight operations resume at Srinagar airport
Meanwhile, flight operations to and from Srinagar International Airport resumed on Wednesday, a day after all flights were cancelled due to snowfall in Kashmir, officials said.
"The first flight has landed at 9.25 am. We expect normal flight operations through the day if the weather conditions hold," an official of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) said.
Earlier, the Srinagar airport announced on its official X handle that snow clearance operations had been completed.
"Following improvement in weather conditions, the runway, taxiway and apron have been cleared and are now ready for operations. However, visibility is currently on the lower side due to haze conditions," the airport said.
The airport added that authorities are closely monitoring the situation.
"Delays may be expected during the initial phase of operations. Passengers are advised to stay in touch with their respective airlines and follow official communication channels for the latest updates," it said.