Two stranded passengers were found dead inside a load carrier parked on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway near Banihal in Ramban district on Sunday.
The duo, hailing from Kralpora area of North Kashmir's Kupwara district, were stranded in the area after traffic was suspended due to accumulation of snow on both sides of the Jawarhar tunnel since Saturday morning.
The passengers were identified as Shabir Ahmad Mir (22) and Majid Gulzar Mir (30).
According to official sources, the passengers were rushed to the nearby hospital in Banihal where doctors declared them brought dead. Angry drivers of load carriers and others also staged a protest demonstration near Railway Chowk in Banihal to highlight their plight and pathetic state of affairs of the highway.
Holding the government responsible for the death of the duo, the protesters alleged that the government should have allowed the stranded vehicles through the recently-completed Banihal-Qazigund tunnel.
The protesters also demanded adequate compensation from the government in support of the families of the deceased passengers.
Meanwhile, routine traffic remained suspended on the national highway on Sunday while some of the stranded vehicles were cleared after completing the snow clearing operations.