Srinagar: Dense fog engulfed Kashmir resulting in disruption and cancellation of flights at Srinagar Airport on Friday.
As many as 11 flights were cancelled in the afternoon at Srinagar Airport due to the prevailing low visibility caused by prevailing fog for the second consecutive day.
Director Airport Srinagar Santosh Dhoke told Kashmir Reader all 11 flights scheduled from 2:30pm onwards were cancelled because of poor visibility.
According to him, the visibility was as low as 600 meters due to which flights could not operate from the airport.
Dhoke said that only 14 flights scheduled in the first half of the day could operate without any hassle.
Dense fog along with cold wave prompted people in the Valley to stay indoors. In Srinagar, low visibility disrupted traffic movement on roads in the morning. Vehicles were seen plying with headlights on but as day progressed, visibility also improved.
The local meteorological department (MeT) has predicted that cold conditions will continue to prevail in coming days.
A MeT official said that on Friday temperature in Srinagar stood at 8.8 Celsius but last night temperature was recorded at minus 3.
Director MeT Sonum Lotus said that mercury will further plummet in coming days due to fog and acute cold in the Valley.
He predicted another spell of snow and rains from December 10 till 13 across the region.
The temperatures recorded in Qazigund stood at minus 3.1 Celsius, Pahalgam minus 5.6 Celsius, Kokernag minus 2.4 Celsius , Kupwara minus 4.9 Celsius and minus 5.6 Celsius in Gulmarg.
Meanwhile, Srinagar-Jammu highway which was closed for traffic on Thursday evening after landslides blocked the strategic road was thrown open for traffic on Friday.
Three people had a narrow escape when a truck came under the debris of a landslide and got trapped at Ramban’s Mehar stretch on the road, the official said.
Superintendent of Traffic Police (Rural) Muzaffar Ahmad Shah confirmed that the highway was open for day and vehicular traffic plied normally.

NAZIMA SIDIQ