In one of the Indian Air Force's biggest day-and-night rescue operations, it airlifted over 24,000 army jawans and civilians trapped in different snow-hit regions of Jammu and Kashmir [ Images ] on Tuesday.

The state on Tuesday received a respite from continuous snowfall, enabling IAF to launch its massive operation.

Also see: J&K avalanche toll hits 100

The IAF dropped food and other essentials to those trapped in the Jawahar Tunnel. It is reported that 300 people, mostly Indo-Tibetan Border Police jawans, are trapped in the 3-km tunnel.

"We delivered 50 tonnes of essentials like medicines, food grains, vegetables, blankets, oil and petroleum products to different affected areas till 11 am on Tuesday," Udhampur-based Station Commander Manavendra Singh said.

Forty-eight foreign tourists, 20,200 army troops, 3,000 Border Security Force personnel and over 900 civilians have been ferried to safety so far, he added.

"Our choppers flew over various avalanche-hit areas to drop essential commodities to the people on Tuesday," Singh said.

The IAF has pressed into services nine choppers, three Il-76s and four AN-32s.

Following the rising number of casualties in J&K, the IAF has put all its stations in northern India [ Images ] on high alert.

Meanwhile, Kashmir remained cut off from the rest of the country for the fifth consecutive day because of heavy snowfall, the worst in 15 years. Seventy-three people have been killed in Anantnag district since Sunday in avalanches.

Air links were restored with Indian Airlines operating three flights from Srinagar [ Images ] airport.

Earlier reports:
IAF mounts massive rescue and relief operation in Kashmir
Weather clears in J&K, air links restored
Crisis in J&K, but CM in Delhi for exhibition