410 stranded passengers airlifted in J-K

A group of 410 stranded passengers were Monday airlifted to and fro Kargil in Jammu and Kashmir, a senior official said.

"A total of 410 passengers were airlifted by the Indian Air Force in separate sorties between Kargil- Srinagar and Kargil-Jammu," State Coordinator, Kargil Courier Service, Aamir Ali, said.

He said 166 passengers were airlifted from Srinagar to Kargil and 151 from Jammu to Kargil, while 53 from Kargil to Srinagar and 40 from Kargil to Jammu.

The AN-32 Kargil courier service is operating regularly to facilitate travel of the stranded passengers of Ladakh, which usually remains cut off from rest of the country due to the closure of 434km Srinagar-Leh National Highway for winter months owing to heavy snowfall.

Officials said the snow clearance operation on the highway is in full swing and the road is likely to be restored later this month.