Manzoor Mir

The epicenter of the quake, which occurred at 9.45 am, was at the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border. Strong tremors were felt in Jammu and Kashmir.

Five persons died on the spot and one succumbed to his injuries in hospital due to the accident, officials said.

"Encounter has started at Nadigam area of Shopian. Police and security forces are on the job. Further details shall follow," Kashmir Zone Police said in a tweet.

According to a report, an encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists in the Charar-i-Sharief area of Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday,

Srinagar, the summer capital of J&K recorded minus 3.6, Pahalgam minus 11.8 and Gulmarg minus 10.4 degrees Celsius as the minimum temperatures.

As per the details, one of the fire officers got injured during rescue operation which ended after 2-hours.

An official of the IMD said due to clear night sky, minimum temperatures are likely to drop further below the freezing point in the two UTs during the next 48 hours.

The grenade exploded among a civilian population in which 2 to 3 civilians sustained minor injuries.

A joint team of J&K Police, 34 RR and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation on specific information about the presence of terrorists in the area.

Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 10.5 degrees Celsius, slightly up from minus 11.0 degrees Celsius.

In Ladakh’s Leh, the minimum temperature was recorded at minus 13.9 degrees Celsius. Drass, the second coldest place in the world after Siberia, recorded a low of minus 27.2 degrees Celsius.

The tourists were rescued by Snow Bike union who were stuck in a snow-covered mountainous region amid heavy winds. All the tourists were brought to the Gondola base safely.

Earlier on Thursday evening, the police had informed about the beginning of the encounter headed by police and security forces.

Zojila Pass has its own unique challenges of freezing temperatures, lack of oxygen and frequent avalanches. 

The bus carrying tourists from Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly collided with another vehicle inside the tunnel.

The firefight between terrorists and security forces took place after a joint team of security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation on the basis of specific information about the presence of terrorists.

The tremors, according to the reports, were felt at around 7:01 p.m.

According to the Inspector-General of Kashmir police, the deceased terrorist was involved in the killing of ASI Mohd Ashraf of Bijbehara Police Station.

As the security forces zeroed in on the spot where terrorists were hiding they came under a heavy volume of fire that triggered the encounter.

The Centre had informed Parliament on November 30 that 40 civilians have been killed and 72 injured in J&K in terror-related incidents till November 15 this year.