A devastating cloudburst that hit the Seri Bagna area of Ramban in the early hours of Sunday brought misery for hundreds of residents as it left behind a trail of slush, a heap of debris, killing three people, including two siblings. So far, five people have lost their lives in the Jammu region due to adverse weather conditions in the last 24 hours. On Saturday night, two more people, including a woman, were killed and another injured after lightning struck the Arnas area in Reasi district. More than 100 people were safely evacuated from the demolished concrete structures by the rescue teams.
Amid heavy rains and gusty winds, the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) also witnessed massive landslides/mudslides, prompting the traffic police authorities to suspend traffic on the highway.
Meanwhile, several passengers stranded on the highway witnessed ‘Nature’s Fury’ after long road stretches were washed away, and several vehicles rolled down the gorge in front of their eyes.
Several travellers, staying in a local hotel in Ramban, were safely rescued around 0300hrs . Sunil Kumar, who was staying on the second floor of the Usman hotel, told local media, “I heard a loud noise around 0300hrs. As I stepped out of the room, some of the hotel employees alerted us to rush out of the
building to save our lives”. Sunil Kumar said, “As I saw the water level rising rapidly, I banged on the doors of other roommates and rushed out via the back doors to safety”.
He said several vehicles parked outside the hotel were buried under the debris. To extend immediate relief to the needy families and stranded passengers, the District Administration Ramban launched an extensive rescue and relief operation amidst devastating rains and flash floods.
Deputy Commissioner Baseer-Ul-Haq Chaudhary visited several locations where rescue teams were deployed in the affected areas. Accompanied by SSP Ramban Kulbir Singh and other senior officers, the Deputy Commissioner reviewed the ground situation and coordinated with the specialised teams engaged in relief efforts.
Teams from the Police, SDRF, Civil QRTs, ARMY and other stakeholder departments and agencies, besides volunteers from the local NGOs, participated in rescue and restoration operations across the affected areas.
According to official sources about 40 residential houses were damaged after a flash flood hit Dharam Kund village. Ten houses were fully damaged while the rest suffered partial damage.
A senior government official in Ramban said the entire district has been affected due to heavy rain, cloudbursts, high-velocity winds, landslides and hailstorms.
“We are monitoring the situation, and an assessment will be carried out later to provide assistance to the affected population. Our priority at the moment is to safeguard lives.”
A traffic department spokesperson said vehicular movement on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was stopped from both sides due to landslides, mudslides and shooting stones at multiple places between Nashri and Banihal.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh appreciated the district administration headed by Deputy Commissioner Baseer-ul-Haq Chaudhary for prompt action in saving precious lives.
“There was a heavy hailstorm, multiple landslides and fast winds throughout the night in the Ramban region, including the areas surrounding the Ramban town. The national highway stands blocked and unfortunately there have been three casualties and loss of property for a couple of families,” he said in a post on X. “I am in constant touch with the deputy commissioner. The district administration deserves appreciation for timely and prompt action, which helped save several precious lives,” he added.
The Udhampur MP said every kind of relief — both financial and otherwise - was being provided.
Deputy Chief Minister Sunrinder Choaudhary, along with local MLAs from Ramban and Banihal, also visited Ramban and took stock of the situation.