'Midday warmth is known to loosen the snowpack above the Srinagar-Leh highway, sending it down the slopes. It’s also well-known that March is an avalanche-prone month and that the early morning hours, up to 10 am, are generally considered safer than afternoons. The avalanche that occurred between 12.30 pm and 1 pm bore down on a mix of heavy and light vehicles, even though advisories suggest that heavy vehicles be allowed only after light ones. Among the dead is a 10-year-old child, while a search for two more missing people continues.'

Karanjeet Kaur, columnist, writes