1 dead, 9 trapped in Kashmir tunnel collapse

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir (AA) – A construction worker died and nine others remain trapped under the debris of an under-construction tunnel that collapsed late on Thursday along the key highway connecting the Jammu and Kashmir region with the Indian mainland, officials said.

The body of the late laborer has been recovered, while three other workers were rescued during an operation that is still underway, said the divisional commissioner of Jammu, Ramesh Kumar.

Kumar told media persons that rescue work has been made difficult by debris from a massive landslide. Disaster relief workers had to cut through large boulders to reach out to the trapped workers, which many feared were dead by then.

Traffic on the 295 kilometer (183 miles) mountainous highway, which connects the Kashmir and Jammu provinces of the disputed region, is often disrupted due to landslides and boulders sliding down hills during rain or snow. In the past, supplies to Kashmir have been hit for days when the highway got blocked due to such incidents.

The highway is in the process of being widened and upgraded to improve connectivity during rough weather, with several new tunnels constructed in the past decade. Another highway, used previously by the royalty of the Mughal Empire visiting the Kashmir Valley, remains closed during the winter months, effectively making the Kashmir Highway the only all-weather route between the landlocked valley and the rest of the world.