Ganderbal Fire and Emergency Safety Guide

On the evening of Tuesday 10 November 2026, a Tempo Traveller carrying tourists from Sonamarg to Srinagar left the road near Sumbal Bala and Gund and fell about 60 feet into a gorge. All 18 people on board were hurt and no deaths were reported; eight were referred to SKIMS Soura in Srinagar. The cause is not established, and we cover it in a case study.

The district plan says the high ground from Kullan to Zojila gets heavy snowfall, snow storms, avalanches and flash floods, and that the Sonamarg and Zojila area has the highest precipitation in the Valley. It lists the Valtengoo snow avalanche of February 2005 among the disasters the district has seen.

The district plan says the Sindh has seen heavy floods at least twice in two decades, damaging villages, bridges and the national highway, and that the flash flood of 1994 washed away the road between Wayil and Kullan. Where the river slows down near Ganderbal, Sherpathri and nearby villages face waterlogging and flooding.

The district plan marks the pine forest belts of Kangan and Chattergul as prone to forest fire and flash floods, and also to breaches in irrigation and power canals. Steep slopes make a forest fire there hard to reach.

The district plan says the national highway through the area passes the Zojila pass, which has a history of disasters, and that almost half of the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims now go by the Baltal route. The road carries heavy pilgrim and tourist traffic in season, so a single crash or landslide can hold up a long line of vehicles.