A massive avalanche struck the Sonamarg tourist resort in Jammu and Kashmir late Tuesday night. The avalanche hit the resort area in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district at around 10.12 pm on Tuesday, according to officials.
Despite the intensity of the snow slide, authorities confirmed that there were no reports of casualties, according to news agency PTI.
Chilling footage of the avalanche emerged online. One video, shared by PTI, shows a calm, quiet valley before a huge cloud of snow suddenly sweeps through the area.
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In the CCTV video, streets and buildings can be seen engulfed by what appears to be a thick wall of snow within seconds. No people are visible on the roads at the time.
Snowfall disrupts flights
Fresh snowfall severely disrupted daily life across the Kashmir Valley on Tuesday. All flights were cancelled at Srinagar airport, while several major roads, including the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, were closed.
“All flights to and from Srinagar airport have been cancelled due bad weather and continuous snowfall at Srinagar. Passengers are advised to reschedule their flights from the respective airlines,” an airport official said.
Officials announced the closure of the 270-km hilly national highway connecting Srinagar and Jammu due to slippery conditions and heavy snow accumulation between Banihal and Qazigund. No vehicular movement was allowed in either direction.
The snowfall also affected normal life in Srinagar city and nearby towns. Key routes, including the Mughal Road, Srinagar-Leh (SSG) highway, and Sinthan Road, have remained closed since the January 22–23 snowfall.
Traffic remained thin, businesses were partially affected, and pedestrian movement was minimal as residents chose to stay indoors. Weather conditions are expected to improve from Wednesday, and travellers have been advised to check air and road connectivity before planning their journeys.
Authorities advise caution
“The snowfall and rains started from Monday evening, and as a precautionary measure, we have suspended traffic movement on the national highway and also issued an advisory to the commuters owing to the weather conditions,” said SSP (traffic rural) Ravinder Pal Singh.
He added that vehicles travelling from Srinagar had been diverted back since Monday evening. “Some internal roads are connected but the roads in far-flung areas like Tanghdar, Sadna, Razdan pass and Gurez are still blocked owing to major snowfall,” he said.
Prior avalanche warning
Officials said the incident came a day after authorities had issued a warning 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, increasing the risk of avalanches.
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.
(With inputs from Ashiq Hussain)