Srinagar: Heavy rains and thunderstorms in the past few days caused a cloudburst in the picturesque Sonmarg, leaving four people, including two children dead on Thursday.  Owing to the landslides triggered by the heavy rains, the Srinagar-Leh road has been closed for traffic.

The cloudburst is what caused the landslides that have blocked the highway, officials said.

A rescue operation was launched in collaboration with the army, Border Roads Organization (BRO) to recover the bodies of the deceased. But so far, the police have been able to find only three bodies.

“The road has been blocked near the fish point at Kullar, we hope that the road is cleared in a few hours,” said a police official.

Meanwhile, the Amaranth Yatra was suspended on Friday morning as the tracks became slippery due to rain. On Thursday evening a cloudburst had also hit a base camp at Sheeshnag, however, no casualty was reported.

“The Yatra has been suspended for now and we will take a decision after we review the weather conditions,” said an official of the Shri Amranath Shrine Board.