The Indian Air Force Sunday airlifted 186 Kashmir-bound passengers, who were stranded in Jammu for the past few weeks, to Srinagar, officials said. “The IAF operated its special aircraft C-17 Globemaster to airlift civilians on the requisition of the Jammu and Kashmir government,” a defence spokesperson said in a statement.
The special sorties were launched to assist people who were stuck in the winter capital due to the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar highway—the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with rest of the world.
Those evacuated included many labourers, women and children, who had spent sleepless night at a Jammu bus stand for the past few days, according to an official.
“Among the people evacuated, 170 were adults and 16 children, aged below 5 years,” deputy commissioner Jammu Ramesh Kumar said.