Heavy rainfall due to cloudbursts in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district on April 20 triggered flash floods and landslides, leaving three people dead and damaging scores of houses, shops and roads, according to PTI. More than 100 people were rescued in subsequent operations.
Hundreds of vehicles were stranded after traffic was suspended on the strategic 250-kilometre Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, due to debris blocking the route at nearly a dozen places between Nashri and Banihal, officials said.
Cause of the Deluge
A number of villages were cut off from the district headquarters as roads were swept away in flash floods. A cloudburst struck the Seri Bagna village, resulting in the death of three persons including two children.
“I have never seen such a weather condition in my entire life. I was woken up by the deafening sound of the cloudburst at around 4.30 am and within no time heard cries for help,” Mohammad Hafiz, a resident of the village, told PTI.
Boulders and sludge from landslides and mudslides covered many areas. Hundreds of local volunteers were the first respondents to reach out to the victims in the affected villages.
“We managed to pull out the two brothers after a portion of their house collapsed due to the flash floods but both of them were dead,” Hafiz said.
The officials said 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 said there has been massive damage in the entire district 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," said the senior official, who did not wish to be named.
With the latest fatalities, five people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents in the Jammu region in two days. Two people, including a woman, were killed and another woman was injured when they were struck by lightning in the Arnas area of Reasi district late on April 19.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed grief over the loss of lives and said that all possible assistance was being extended to the affected families.
The district administration, State Disaster Response Force and rescue teams were on the job to ensure swift relief, Sinha said.
(With inputs from PTI.)
