SRINAGAR: A truck, carrying apples from Srinagar to Jammu, today caught fire inside Jawahar tunnel, briefly disrupting traffic on the only highway connecting Kashmir with rest of the country, officials said today. The fruit-laden truck, bearing Haryana registration number, caught fire inside the 2.85-km long tunnel in Kulgam district of south Kashmir around 3 PM due to overheating of the engine, the officials said.
They said Fire and Emergency Services department along with police and locals immediately swung into action and brought the fire under control.
The driver and conductor of the vehicle, which left for Jammu from Parimpora Fruit Mandi here this morning, escaped unhurt in the incident, the officials said, adding there was no damage to the fruit being transported to Jammu.
The traffic on the highway was briefly suspended due to the accident and restored after the truck was towed away by the traffic department.