Two men were found dead inside a mini-truck on Sunday in Banihal along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, which was opened for Kashmir-bound stranded vehicles after remaining closed for a day due to snowfall, officials said.
The 270-km highway was cleared on Sunday afternoon for vehicles going to Kashmir, they said.
Shabir Ahmad Mir (22) and Majid Gulzar Mir (30), both residents of Kralpora village in Kupwara district, were on their way to Srinagar but left stranded after snowfall around the Jawahar Tunnel forced closure of the highway early on Saturday, the officials said. They said the duo was found unconscious inside their vehicle on Sunday morning and rushed to a nearby hospital, where both of them were declared brought dead. It was not immediately clear whether they died of severe cold or asphyxiation, they said.
