SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir

At least two people died after a landslide hit a vehicle at a hydropower project site in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, officials said Monday.

The landslide struck near the Dangduru area in Kishtwar district late Sunday night, trapping several workers, officials said.

The Kishtwar Red Cross Society said two bodies have been recovered from the debris so far.

In a separate incident, local police, the Indian army and civil authorities evacuated 235 passengers in 38 vehicles stranded by heavy snowfall at Sinthan Top, which connects Kishtwar district with southern Anantnag district in the Kashmir valley.

“On March 15, information was received that 235 civilians were stranded at Sinthan Top due to heavy snowfall and severe weather conditions. Troops of the White Knight Corps were immediately mobilized to launch a swift rescue operation despite the treacherous terrain and relentless snowfall,” the Indian Army White Knight Corps said on the US social media company X.

Authorities ordered the closure of schools outside municipal limits in Kishtwar and neighboring Doda district on Monday as a precaution due to bad weather.

Earlier, the regional weather department forecast rain and snow in the Kashmir region until March 21.