The Indian Air Force (IAF) and state-run helicopter service provider Pawan Hans on Wednesday airlifted 141 people stranded at various places in J&K and Ladakh, officials said.

The IAF's AN-32 aircraft, also known as the Kargil Courier, transported 110 people while Mi-172 Pawan Hans helicopter flew 31 people to their destinations. As many as 41 people were flown from Jammu to Kargil and 14 from Kargil to Jammu.

Similarly, an AN-32 aircraft flew 15 people from Kargil to Srinagar and 40 from Srinagar to Kargil.

The Mi-172 Pawan Hans helicopter transported 31 people from Srinagar to Kargil and three from Leh to Kargil.

The Indian Air Force has been operating C-17, C-130 and AN-32 aircraft regularly to airlift stranded passengers in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh due to the closure of the 434-km Srinagar-Leh National Highway owing to heavy snowfall in January. —

Courtesy: The Tribune India: 9th March , 2022