Jammu, Mar 7 (PTI) As many as 523 stranded passengers were airlifted by the Indian Air Force (IAF) in separate sorties in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, an official said.

State Coordinator, Kargil Courier Service, Aamir Ali said 305 passengers were airlifted from Srinagar to Leh in an IL-76 aircraft, while 22 passengers were taken from Kargil to Srinagar by air, five passengers from Kargil to Jammu and 191 passengers from Jammu to Kargil in separate sorties.

On Wednesday, 514 stranded Ladakh passengers were airlifted from Srinagar and Jammu, while a day earlier 95 passengers were airlifted in two AN-32 Kargil courier aircraft.

The AN-32 Kargil courier service was introduced some years back to provide an alternative to the residents of Ladakh which usually remains cut off from rest of the country due to the closure of the 434-km Srinagar-Leh National Highway during winter months owing to heavy snowfall.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)