Avalanche kills 7 on Srinagar–Leh highway near Zojila Pass, Ladakh
At least seven people were killed and five others injured after an avalanche struck vehicles along the Srinagar–Leh highway near Zojila Pass in Ladakh, northern India, on March 27, 2026.
The avalanche hit a high-altitude section of the highway connecting Srinagar with Leh, a critical route for civilian and logistical movement in the region.
“A total of 13 people were impacted in the avalanche. Five people were reported dead on March 27. One critically injured person died after being shifted to Kargil hospital on March 28. The seventh body was recovered from the site in the morning. Six people remain under treatment,” Dr. Sajjad Hussain, Block Medical Officer in Drass, told The Hindu.
Local reports indicated that multiple avalanches affected the roadway in the area. Rescue teams were deployed following the incident, and the injured were transported to nearby medical facilities.
Zojila Pass is located at an elevation of approximately 3 528 m (11 575 feet) in the western Himalayas and is one of the most avalanche-prone corridors in northern India. The route is exposed to heavy snowfall, wind-driven snow accumulation, and rapid changes in temperature, all of which contribute to snowpack instability.
Avalanches in this region are common during the late winter and early spring transition period, when variations in temperature and solar radiation can weaken snow layers and increase the likelihood of slope failure.
The Srinagar–Leh highway serves as the main link between the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh, supporting both civilian movement and logistical supply. Disruptions caused by avalanches can temporarily halt traffic and isolate high-altitude regions until clearance operations are completed.
Featured image credit: News On AIR
Rishav Kothari is Editor-in-Chief of The Watchers, where he runs the newsroom and covers earthquakes, volcanoes, severe weather and space weather.
Published in the last 24 hours
- In September 1859, a solar storm lit up the night sky so brightly that gold miners in the Rocky Mountains woke up after midnight and started cooking breakfast, convinced the aurora glowing over their camp was the sunrise Epicenter
- A patch of warm Pacific water that could become the strongest El Niño in more than 70 years sits thousands of miles from any American town, yet it is already the main reason NOAA expects a wetter winter across the South and a milder one across the North
- A 19-year-old Nebraska teacher reportedly tied her pupils together with twine and led them to safety through a blizzard in January 1888 Epicenter
- NASA built the Opportunity rover to last 90 days on Mars, and Martian winds helped keep it alive for nearly 15 years by blowing dust off its solar panels, until a planet-wide dust storm in 2018 blocked sunlight and silenced the rover Epicenter
