Zojila Pass. (Waseem Andrabi/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)In a major humanitarian operation, the Indian Army on Friday (22 November) successfully rescued over 350 tourists and local citizens stranded at the Zojila pass in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) owing to heavy snowfall since Thursday, reports Economic Times.
As a part of the rescue mission, the Indian Army also provided the civilians with medical assistance, hot food and blankets. It should be noted that the temperature in the region which is situated at a height of over 11,000 feet hovers around minus seven degree Celsius.
The situation worsened as the regions of Sonamarg, Baltal and Nilgrar which lie close to Zojila pass received heavy and unabated snowfall, also causing traffic jams and snarls at several locations.
A part of the critical Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway-1, Zojila pass is presently undergoing a major transformation with the construction of an all-weather 14 kilometer tunnel which once completed will be the longest bidirectional tunnel in all of Asia. The construction project was inaugurated in May 2018 by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi.
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