IAF airlifts 600 passengers stranded in snowbound areas

Both Leh district of Ladakh region and the remote Tanghdar which is located near the Line-of-Control remain cut-off from the rest of the Valley as heavy snowfall has snapped the road link to these areas.

The spokesman said 662 stranded passengers were airlifted between Srinagar-Leh and Kupwara-Tangdhar in IAF aircraft.

"One serious patient was also airlifted from a remote village of Munay in Zanaskar to Leh in an air force Cheetah helicopter," the spokesman said.

He said 540 stranded passengers of Kargil were airlifted from Srinagar to Leh in IL-76 aircraft of IAF.

IAF also deployed Mi-17 aircraft which made three sorties each between Kupwara and Tanghdar and 112 passengers were airlifted today, the spokesman said.

"55 passengers were airlifted from Kupwara to Tangdhar and 57 from Tangdhar to Kupwara. The pilot of the aircraft made an aerial recce of Macchil area but was unable to land," the spokesman said