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.

Srinagar city received season’s first snowfall on Tuesday as higher reaches both in the Jammu region and the Kashmir Valley received moderate snowfall.

“Sonamarg, Gulmarg, Pahalgam also received moderate snowfall,” the Met said. Plains in the Jammu region have been receiving rainfall since Monday morning. “The present weather conditions are likely to continue during Wednesday and Thursday after which the western disturbance active over Jammu and Kashmir will start weakening,” an official of the Met Department said.

Residents here were pleasantly surprised to see a thin blanket of snow covering the landscape in the morning.

“This is Kashmir. Without snow the landscape looks orphaned. If the government is able to provide basic amenities to the people, winter is undoubtedly the best season in Kashmir,” said Nisar Hussain, a retired chief engineer who lives in Gogjibagh. Snowfall in Gulmarg has brightened the prospects of winter sports at its ski resort.

The weather office said the minimum temperature was minus 0.2 in Srinagar and 0.1 in Pahalgam. While Gulmarg at minus 6.5 was the coldest place in the state on Tuesday, the Met said.

The minimum temperature was minus 1.4 in Leh and minus three degrees in Kargil towns of the Ladakh region.

Jammu city recorded 12.5, Katra town 9.2, Batote 0.2, Bannihal minus 0.1, Bhaderwah 0.2 and Udhampur 10.2 as the minimum temperatures.

Even as snow eluded Himachal Pradesh’s capital Shimla on Tuesday, the picturesque tourist town of Manali experienced mild snow, this winter season’s first. There are chances of more rain and snow in the hill state till Wednesday, officials said.

“Manali and the hills overlooking it experienced mild to moderate snow. There are chances of more snow till Wednesday,” an official at the meteorological office here told IANS.

According to the Met office, Shimla recorded 14 mm rainfall, with chances of snow early on Wednesday.

The Met said weather would remain dry after Wednesday as western disturbances would recede from the region.

The picturesque Kothi, near Manali, recorded 37 cm snowfall, the highest in the state, while Rohtang Pass at an altitude of 13,050 feet, 52 km from Manali, also recorded a fair amount of snow.

The pass, which links Manali with Keylong in Lahaul Valley, was closed for traffic after snow.

Shimla residents shivered as icy winds brought down the minimum temperature to 4 degrees Celsius whereas the maximum stayed at 8.3 degrees. Shimla saw intermittent rain throughout the day.

Tourist spots near Shimla, like Kufri and Narkanda, experienced mild snow, turning these hill stations even more picturesque. Tourists from the plains began to descend on Manali and Kufri.

Kalpa, about 250 km from the state capital, experienced 10 cm of snow. It recorded a low of minus 0.2 degrees.

“High-altitude areas of Lahaul and Spiti, Chamba, Mandi, Kullu, Kinnaur and Shimla districts have been experiencing intermittent snow since Monday,” the official added.

Indo-Asian News Service