J&K worst hit as monsoon unleashes trail of death, destruction

At least 16 people lost their lives on Sunday as the aggressive southwest monsoon continued its rampage across the north and east of India, unleashing devastating landslides, flash floods and widespread destruction. Jammu and Kashmir bore the maximum brunt, with at least 11 confirmed deaths and several others still missing after relentless torrential downpours hammered the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri. Massive landslides triggered by heavy downpour buried homes and vehicles under a deluge of mud and debris, while sudden flash floods roared through valleys, sweeping away everything in their path. Communication lines, power infrastructure, and road networks suffered extensive damage, leaving many areas cut off.

Indian Army troops, in close coordination with the Jammu & Kashmir Police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the civil administration, successfully rescued eleven civilians, including five children, stranded at different locations in the flood-affected Rajouri district following incessant rainfall and flash floods.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke with J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, assuring all possible Government assistance to tackle the flood.

In Uttarakhand, two people died after being struck by lightning in Haridwar district as continuous rainfall affected most parts of the State. The administration has issued red and orange alerts for 10 districts in Uttarakhand. According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), landslides triggered by incessant rains have blocked 84 roads, including two national highways, at various locations across the State.

In Nagaland’s Kohima, at least three people lost their lives in flash floods, which washed away houses, blocked roads and trapped several people underneath debris, officials said.

In West Bengal, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy rainfall in the northern districts over the next two days, warning of possible landslides in the hilly areas and flash floods in low-lying areas of the region. The IMD said that water levels may rise in some rivers in the region, including Teesta, Torsa, Jaldhaka and Raidak, as incessant rain continued to batter the north Bengal districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar since Saturday.

According to the IMD, extremely heavy rain is likely in the districts of Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar, and very heavy rain in the other sub-Himalayan districts.

District authorities in Reasi, Rajouri and Poonch of J&K have appealed to residents to stay away from rivers and low-lying areas as rescue and restoration work continues.

The ongoing Amarnath Yatra and pilgrim traffic to the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine have been suspended due to inclement weather. Authorities have urged pilgrims and locals to exercise caution. Officials prohibited onward movement from the Baltal and Nunwan, Chandanwari base camps in the Kashmir region, and the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu.

CM Omar Abdullah, who was in Delhi for a proposed statehood protest, cut short his visit and returned to Jammu in the afternoon to oversee relief and rescue operations in the division. He also chaired a meeting here in the civil secretariat to take stock of the prevailing situation and other relief and rescue measures. The worst devastation has been reported from Surankote tehsil in Poonch district, where eight members of a family were feared dead. The neighbouring Rajouri district was also hit hard due to flash floods in the Darhali river.

While bodies of five persons, including a two-year-old boy, Sofian Yasar, were retrieved from the debris, a search operation was continuing to trace the remaining missing persons, the officials said.

Four members of another family were reported missing after their house was washed away by flash floods at Sangla village, they said, adding the missing persons include Abdul Hameed, his wife Sharifa Begum, daughter Areeba and sister Manira Begum.

A 28-year-old woman, Nazia Kousar, was killed when her house collapsed in Noonabandi village. Her Husband, Mohd Hafiz, and three children, aged between two and six years, were rescued with injuries and shifted to a hospital, officials said.

Shahzaib Ahmad (22) lost his life when his house collapsed at Sanglani-Surankote, while a minor girl identified as Iram drowned in a stream at Marhote. An unidentified body of a woman was also fished out from a stream near Dhundak Lathoong bridge, officials said.

One person was killed and another critically injured following collapse of nearly half a dozen houses in Haveli tehsil of Poonch district, the officials said.

They said the body of a woman was also fished out from a river in Rajouri town, which was hit by flash floods following incessant overnight rainfall, forcing hundreds of residents to move to safer locations as floodwaters inundated low-lying areas.

Deputy Commissioner, Rajouri, Abhishek Sharma visited several flood-affected areas along with senior police and district administration officers. He said the rescue and relief teams, assisted by the local administration, were engaged in evacuating affected families and assessing the damage, while local Congress MLA Iftkhar Ahmad said there was heavy damage to public and private property in the flash floods.

In Jammu, Police and the NDRF safely rescued a group of youths stranded in the middle of the Tawi River. The rescue team brought everyone safely without any casualties. Heavy rainfall in the region also triggered a massive landslide near the temple at Narsu on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. At least six shops were buried in the area. A major landslide also hit the Bandipora-Gurez road after a cloudburst.