IAF ferries 80 stranded passengers between J&K and Ladakh

The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Monday ferried 80 stranded passengers, including four infants, between Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, an official said.

He said the AN-32 Kargil courier service operates thrice a week between Kargil and Jammu and twice a week between Kargil and Srinagar due to the closure of the 434-km Srinagar-Leh national highway owing to heavy snowfall.

Hundreds of people have availed the service since its commencement in January, the official said.

“AN-32 aircraft of the IAF airlifted 54 passengers, including four infants, in two sorties from Kargil to Jammu, while 26 passengers were airlifted in one sortie from Jammu to Kargil on Monday,” Aamir Ali, chief coordinator, Kargil Courier service, said.