J&K: Damage to become clear after roads are fixed

Srinagar: With no telecom or road connectivity between the Jammu region and the Kashmir Valley, the extend of damage due to the floods in Jammu and Kashmir will be known only after the communication lines are restored.

Nearly 1,500 trucks carrying essential supplies to the Kashmir Valley are stranded at various places on the over 300-km long Jammu-Srinagar national highway as stretches of the road have either been washed away by flash floods or have come under a landslide.

The highway has suffered the maximum damage at the Ramsu area of the Ramban district where around 40 meters of the road has been completely washed away.

The highway remained closed for the sixth day on Tuesday.

The local television and radio stations in Valley have remained off air. Also, there is no telecom connectivity between the Valley and the Jammu region.

Although the authorities on Tuesday said that 160 people had died in the floods in the state, the exact magnitude of death and destruction will be known only later.

Seven bodies were recovered Tuesday morning in Sadal village of the Udhampur district, while the army said 31 people were still missing.

On Monday, the Indian Army carried out seven sorties to help the marooned people in this area.

Two bodied were recovered in the Manmjakot village of Rajouri district late on Monday.

As many as 2,040 houses in the Jammu region alone have become uninhabitable as these have been completely or partially damaged.

The weather was dry in the Jammu region on Tuesday morning, which is likely to facilitate rescue by the Indian Army and other security forces.

The the Mata Vaishno Devi yatra was suspended for the third day on Monday and MK Bhandari, the deputy CEO of the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, said a decision about resuming the yatra will be taken later in the day.

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