Srinagar, May 29 (IANS) The driver and the helper of a truck escaped miraculously after their trailer truck plunged into a 400-ft-deep gorge near the Zojila Pass on the Srinagar-Leh national highway on Friday, officials said.

The accident occurred near Pani Matha in the Zojila sector when the truck, travelling from Sonamarg to Kargil, reportedly went out of the driver’s control and skidded off the road before falling into the gorge.

Officials identified the vehicle as a 14-wheeler trailer bearing registration number JK01BC/2359.

Despite the severity of the accident and the considerable height from which the vehicle fell, both the driver and the helper survived in what officials and locals described as a miraculous escape.

The truck, however, was completely destroyed in the crash. The accident triggered concern among commuters and transport operators using the Srinagar-Leh Highway, a strategically important road known for sharp curves, steep gradients, and difficult driving conditions.

Police and local authorities reached the spot soon after the accident to assess the situation and collect details regarding the circumstances leading to the crash.

The driver and the helper have been shifted to the Primary Health Centre, Sonamarg, while authorities were examining the cause of the accident. The Zojila axis witnesses frequent traffic movement during the operational season, and road safety concerns often surface due to difficult terrain and unpredictable weather conditions in the high-altitude pass.

In order to make the Srinagar-Leh National Highway an all-weather road, a tunnel is being laid across the Zojila Pass, which is likely to become operational by 2028.

It will be 9.5 m wide, 7.57 m high and 14.2 km long, a horseshoe-shaped single-tube, 2-lane road tunnel at the height of around 12,000 feet above sea level.

Together with the adjacent Z-Morh Tunnel, this geostrategically important tunnel on the NH1Srinagar-Leh Highway will provide year-round weather-proof connectivity to Ladakh and the Amarnath Yatra base camp of Baltal.

The Zojila tunnel will boost tourism and the economy, and enhance the logistics of the armed forces.

It is one of the 31 road tunnels (20 in J&K and 11 in Ladakh) being constructed at a combined cost of Rs 1,400 billion. Upon completion, it will become the longest tunnel in Asia.

–IANS

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