Srinagar: Five soldiers were reported missing after avalanches hit two Army posts on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Tuesday.
Two soldiers went missing in Kupwara district's Nowgam sector on Monday evening and three others disappeared on Tuesday morning in Bandipora district's Gurez sector.
"Continuing snowfall in the area is hampering rescue operations," a police officer said.
More than five feet deep snow had accumulated in Gurez due to the heavy snowfall that started on Monday evening, the officer added.
Meanwhile moderate snowfall and heavy rains on Tuesday forced the closure of Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and the Mughal Road connecting Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country, officials said.
Traffic department officials said fresh snowfall in Bannihal sector and heavy rains in other parts of the Jammu-Srinagar Highway have led to the closure of the nearly 300-km long highway.
