2 dead amid rains on plains and snowfall in higher reaches across Jammu

Jammu, Feb 27 (PTI) Two persons, including a boy, were killed in separate rain-related incidents as the higher reaches of Jammu witnessed snowfall, while the plains were lashed by rains for the second day on Thursday, officials said.

The traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar highway was suspended in the evening following shooting of stones at several places, while a couple of avalanches also hit the upper reaches of Kishtwar district but caused no damage, the officials said.

A boulder hit a sports utility vehicle (SUV) near Dherian Ziyarat in the Surankote area on the Jammu-Poonch national highway in the evening, resulting in the death of the driver, the officials said.

They said a 14-year-old boy drowned while attempting to cross a swollen stream near his home at Sangore-Tuli in Reasi district.

A traffic department official said all types of vehicular movement were stopped at 7 pm from both ends on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway in view of continuous heavy rain and shooting stones at many places between Nashri and Banihal in Ramban district.

Avalanches hit Beighpura-Kamsui village in the Inderwal area and Pinjari near Dachhan in Kishtwar district but there was no report of any damage, the officials said, adding that the higher reaches of Kishtwar, Ramban and Doda districts experienced moderate snowfall.