Three civilian deaths on the Sadhna Top route, located at 10,269 feet, on Tuesday in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district has locals terming the road as a death trap during winter.
They have demanded the re-opening of the shortest and all-weather route through Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) into the Kashmir valley.
At least six civilians were caught in a snow blizzard at Khuni Nallah on the way to Sadhna Top, connecting the Tanghdar-Karnah belt with the Kashmir valley, on Monday night. Six people were on the way from Kupwara to Karnah on foot when they were caught in a snow storm.
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“Only three persons managed to reach the Sadhna Top and three others died on the stretch,” Senior Superintendent of Police, Kupwara, Ambarkar Shriram Dinkar said.
“This tragedy is yet another reminder on the urgency of having a tunnel between Kupwara and Karnah,” said Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti.