Eleven people have been killed in avalanches and landslides after heavy snow fell in the Himalayan region of Kashmir.
Rescuers have cut through mounds of snow to reach seven policemen, two firefighters and two prisoners who were trapped in a fire station in the southern Banihal area overnight, top police officer SP Pani says.
They found the bodies of three of the policemen, the two firefighters and the two prisoners, Pani said.
Three policemen were rescued alive and taken to hospital while a search is under way to find the missing policeman.
Pani said the policemen had taken shelter in the fire station because it had not been damaged by past avalanches in the mountainous area, where landslides are common.
Elsewhere, a man and his wife died in the southern Kokernag region when an avalanche hit their home on Thursday evening, police said.
Two other family members were rescued.
Officials said a landslide also hit a key highway connecting the Kashmir Valley and Jammu near the southern Ramban region, killing two people.
Last month, 10 workers were killed when an avalanche hit a Himalayan mountain pass bordering China in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir.
