Srinagar: Hundreds of Kashmir-bound vehicles were stranded as the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway, connecting the valley with the winter capital Jammu, was closed following shooting stones in Ramban, triggered by rain.

Meanwhile, the historic 86-km-long Mughal road remained closed for the third successive day on Wednesday due to snowfall and slippery road condition.

“Traffic on Srinagar-Jammu highway was suspended on Wednesday afternoon following shooting stone in Ramban and slippery road conditions at Jawahar Tunnel due to accumulation of snow,” a traffic police official said.

He said hundreds of Kashmir-bound vehicles, including those carrying passengers and trucks loaded with essentials, have been stopped at Udhampur and other places. “Only one-way traffic was allowed on the highway from Jammu to Srinagar on Wednesday due to bad road conditions,” he said.

He said traffic was suspended on the highway as a precautionary measure to avoid accidents. “Traffic will be allowed on the highway only after getting a green signal from Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the highway, and traffic police officials deployed at various places along the NH,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Mughal road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region, remained closed due to accumulation of snow, particularly at Pir-ki-Gali, official said.

He said the road has also become very slippery as the snow had frozen due to below freeing temperature.

Though district administration from both sides have already started snow clearance machine, but it was intermittently snowing hampering the snow clearance operation, he said, adding there is also forecast for more snow and avalanches.

A large number of vehicles, including trucks and oil tankers, are stranded on both sides of the Gali, official sources said, adding last month over 200 passengers and truckers were rescued after they got struck on the road due to snow.