Overview
- The avalanches that hit the Zojila stretch Friday buried several passenger vehicles near the Dayal slide between Zero Point and Minimarg and blocked NH‑1.
- Rescuers recovered seven bodies after searches resumed at first light Saturday, and officials said six injured people remain under treatment.
- Police, the Army, the Border Roads Organisation and the SDRF mounted a large operation with snow cutters, excavators and ambulances, and authorities closed the highway in the affected section.
- Officials linked the slides to bright midday sun and warming typical for March and issued new advisories warning of further avalanche risk in high zones of Ganderbal and Bandipora.
- Victims include a child and two women, many from Kargil, and the deaths have put pass rules under review, with local leaders urging early‑morning convoy slots, separating heavy trucks from cars, and pressing the case for the under‑construction Zojila Tunnel to cut exposure.