An avalanche killed seven people, injured five and buried over two dozen vehicles under tonnes of snow on Friday along the treacherous Zoji La, which connects Kashmir with Ladakh.
Officials said the vehicles were on their way to Kargil when the avalanche struck the pass, located at 11,500 feet, in the afternoon. The dead include a child and a woman.
Harrowing videos showed people battling the odds to rescue those trapped under the snow. Many lives were saved thanks to timely action, mostly by fellow travellers.
Officials said some of the injured were seriously hurt and had been taken to hospitals in Drass and Sonamarg.
The road was blocked to traffic and snow clearance machines deployed.
Union minister Jitendra Singh confirmed seven deaths and injuries to five others.
Heavy snowfall had blocked the Srinagar-Kargil national highway for days, with the area witnessing multiple avalanches. But there were no casualties until Friday.
Safeena Wani, a Valley-based journalist who travelled to Kargil on Friday, posted: “People say reporting is fun, but the challenges are rarely counted. Just 15 mins after we crossed Zoji La, we got news of a massive snow avalanche.”
In January, an avalanche had thundered through adjoining Sonamarg, engulfing hotels and other infrastructure and triggering fears of large-scale destruction. But apprehension gave way to relief when authorities reported there were no casualties or major loss of property.
The Jammu and Kashmir Disaster Response Force said that vehicles had been trapped along the Gumri-Zojila axis, which is towards the Kargil side. An official said disaster response personnel from Gund, Ganderbal, along with police and the CRPF, were evacuating the stranded vehicles.
Ladakh MP Mohmad Haneefa said the tragedy was a “stark reminder of the harsh and dangerous realities our people are forced to endure while travelling on this critical route”.
“Zoji La is the lifeline of Ladakh, yet repeated incidents like this expose serious gaps in safety preparedness,” Haneefa said, seeking “immediate relief and support” for the affected families.
The MP stressed the need for a scientifically planned traffic schedule, underlining that “avalanche risks are significantly lower” in the morning.
Ladakh lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena said he had directed the Kargil deputy commissioner and senior superintendent of police to visit the spot immediatelyand mobilise relief and rescue operations.
“All government agencies, including disaster relief forces and (the) BRO (Border Roads Organisation), have been put on high alert,” he said.
Ladakh’s wait for all-weather connectivity has stretched for decades. The construction of a 13.1km tunnel that will connect the region with Kashmir has been under way for years, hobbled by delays.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had last year inaugurated the 6.4km Z-Morh tunnel, whose construction had in October 2024 been rocked by a militant attack that killed seven people. This tunnel, too, is part of the project to connect Ladakh.