IAF airlifts 200 stranded passengers from Jammu

Indian Air Force (IAF) on Wednesday airlifted 200 Kargil-bound stranded passengers from Jammu Airport to Leh in Ladakh region of the state, a defence official said.

Altogether 425 passengers on way to Kargil were stranded in Jammu as the Zojilla Pass connecting Leh with Srinagar remained cut off due to heavy snowfall.

In the first sortie 200 passengers, including 82 women and 12 children, were flown to Leh from Jammu, officiating PRO (Defence) and Defence Spokesperson S N Acharya said here.

Due to bad weather condition in the afternoon hours, the operation was suspended and the remaining 225 stranded passengers at Jammu who were to be taken to Leh in the second sortie will be airlifted later, Acharya added.

The stranded passengers were taken to Leh as the IL-76 aircraft used for airlifting the stranded passengers cannot land at Kargil, he added.