By PTI

UDHAMPUR: IAF today carried out sorties of over 500 passengers who were stranded in Jammu following closure of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway due to heavy rains and snowfall, to Kashmir Valley.

About 830 passengers, who were stranded at Jammu bus stand, were ferried to IAF station here in 17 SRTC buses today. Among them 530 passengers were airlifted in two sorties of IL-76 Plane to Srinagar, IAF officials said.

More sorties are likely to be operated between Udhampur and Srinagar, they said. The nearly 300-km long national highway remained closed for vehicular traffic for the 7th day today in the wake of fresh landslides due to snowfall and rains.

"The national highway remains closed for traffic as fresh landslides have rendered it unsafe for vehicular movement," an official of the Traffic Department here said. He said landslides occurred at Mehar in Ramban and other places near Ramsoo yesterday, leaving behind a trail of muck which blocked the highway.