In Jammu and Kashmir, a fresh landslide today blocked the 250-km strategic Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH44) in the Udhampur district, while the main bridge in the Doda district was temporarily closed to vehicular movement after suspected cracks triggered a safety inspection.

Akashvani Jammu Correspondent reports that a massive landslide struck the Jammu-Srinagar Highway at Dewal in the Udhampur district early this morning, forcing authorities to suspend vehicular traffic from both directions. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) had deployed machinery to clear the debris and restore traffic at the earliest.

However, a fresh batch of 3 thousand 823 Amarnath pilgrims, travelling in a 140-vehicle convoy to the Baltal base camp under tight security, was allowed to cross the affected stretch after authorities restored one-way traffic on the highway. Officials said normal traffic would resume once the second tube becomes operational within the next few hours.