Indian supplies to Kashmir stop as snow shuts road
Jan 19, 2012, 8:03 AM
SRINAGAR, India (AP) – Officials say food and fuel supplies to the Kashmir valley have stopped after heavy snowfall blocked the only road into India’s portion of the disputed Himalayan region.
Traffic officer Hemant Kumar Lohia says nearly 2,000 vehicles carrying gasoline, kerosene and food supplies are halted along the 185-mile (300-kilometer) road. Authorities are rationing cooking gas to help deal with the shortage.
The avalanche-prone highway has been shut for days, but opened briefly during improved weather Wednesday to allow about 300 trucks through to Srinagar, the main city in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Normally thousands of trucks make deliveries daily.
Winters are harsh in the region, with temperatures falling to minus 2 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 19 Celsius).
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