Massive avalanche hits Jammu and Kashmir's Sonamarg tourist resort

An avalanche hit Sonamarg tourist resort in Jammu and Kashmir late Tuesday night, but there was no loss of life, officials said. The avalanche struck Sonamarg in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district at around 10.12 pm. CCTV footage from the area shows a powerful wall of snow rushing down the mountainside and engulfing several buildings in its path.The avalanche came as fresh snowfall across Kashmir disrupted normal life on Tuesday. The Jammu–Srinagar national highway was shut, and all flights at Srinagar airport were cancelled, leaving hundreds of tourists stranded in the valley.

VIDEO | An avalanche hit Sonamarg tourist resort in Jammu and Kashmir late Tuesday night, but there was no loss of life, officials said.

They said the avalanche hit Sonamarg resort in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district at 10.12 pm on Tuesday.

The massive avalanche was caught… pic.twitter.com/Dw5Dl9FCDp

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 27, 2026

Sonamarg, along with many other areas in the valley, experienced moderate to heavy snowfall over the last 2 days. Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory Disaster Management Authority has issued avalanche warnings for 11 districts. A high-danger warning is in place for areas above 2,000 metres in Ganderbal district. Medium-danger warnings have been issued for similar elevations in Anantnag, Bandipora, Baramulla, Kulgam and Kupwara in Kashmir, and in Doda, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri and Ramban in the Jammu region.