J&K flash floods: 12 dead, several missing as landslides hit Poonch-Rajouri; CM provides assistance during rescue operations | Today’s news

In a tragic incident, officials said at least 12 people were killed and several others were reported missing after heavy rains triggered landslides and flash floods in the border districts of Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday. The extreme weather caused extensive damage to roads, homes and other public and private infrastructure.

The disaster prompted Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to cancel his planned participation in a statewide National Conference protest in Delhi on Monday and travel to Jammu to assess the situation and monitor rescue operations. He arrived at the civil secretariat around 6:00 pm and presided over a high-level review meeting.

Officials said the worst-hit area was Surankote tehsil in Poonch district, where most of the deaths were reported, while rescue teams continued to search for those still missing.

‘Rescue efforts continue’: DC

Poonch Deputy Commissioner Ashok Kumar Sharma said that at least 16 people are feared dead in the district, while the bodies of nine have been recovered so far.

“Rescue efforts are continuing while all measures are being taken to provide immediate relief to the affected population,” Sharma, who visited various flood-hit areas during the day, told PTI over phone.

However, a police official said one more body was found in Poonch’s Surankote area in the evening, taking the death toll to 10, while two persons, including a woman, lost their lives in flash floods in Rajouri district.

Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Abdullah expressed their grief over the loss of life in the natural rampage and ensured the rehabilitation of the affected population.

Former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and CPI(M) leader MY Tarigami also expressed their heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and expressed solidarity with all those affected by the calamity.

Flash Flood Victims &K

In the most heart-wrenching incident, eight members of a family were buried when their stream-bank house was hit by a landslide after a cloudburst in lower Murrah village of Surankote early on Sunday, officials said.

While the bodies of three people, including a two-year-old boy, Sofian Yasar, were pulled from the wreckage, a search operation continued to trace the remaining missing persons, they said.

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Four members of another family were reported missing after their house was washed away by flash floods in Sangla village, officials said, adding that the missing persons include Abdul Hameed, his wife Sharifa Begum, daughter Areeba and sister Manira Begum. The bodies of the two missing persons have been recovered, officials said.

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 were rescued with injuries and taken to hospital, officials said.

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

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One person was killed and another critically injured after nearly half a dozen houses collapsed in Haveli tehsil of Poonch district, they said.

Officials said the body of the woman, identified as Pinky, was recovered from a river in Rajouri town after flash floods triggered by continuous overnight rains. The flooding forced hundreds of residents to evacuate to safer areas as water seeped into low-lying areas. Another body was also recovered from the river in Nowshera area of ​​the district.

According to officials, several vehicles were swept away or left submerged after the rivers overflowed their banks, causing major disruption in the affected areas.

Rescue and rescue teams, along with the local administration, continued evacuation efforts and carried out damage assessments. Local Congress MLA Iftkhar Ahmad said the flash floods caused significant damage to both public and private property.

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Meanwhile, with the weather forecast predicting moderate to heavy rainfall in Jammu and Kashmir till July 23, Rajouri and Poonch witnessed incessant rain since Saturday evening, resulting in overflowing of rivers and streams after intense overnight showers.

Rajouri MLA ‘abandoned party program to stand with people’

Rajouri MLA Ahmed, who was scheduled to attend his party’s protest in support of statehood outside Lok Bhavan in Jammu on Sunday, returned to his hometown to take stock of the flood situation.

“I have left my party program to stand by my people as flash floods have caused extensive damage to public and private property,” Ahmad said.

CM Omar Abdullah reacts

Abdullah, who was in Delhi ahead of the state conference’s planned protest at the National Conference on Monday, cut short his visit and returned to Jammu on Sunday afternoon following the worsening situation due to heavy rains in parts of Jammu division.

Heading to X, Abdullah mentioned that he was returning from Delhi to personally oversee the situation on the ground.

“In light of the meteorological warning issued by the meteorological department and the gravity of the situation unfolding in parts of Jammu division, I will leave Delhi and fly to Jammu this afternoon to personally monitor the situation on the ground,” he said.

“Since first light this morning, I have been closely monitoring the situation due to extremely heavy rain in parts of Jammu, especially in Rajouri city and surrounding areas. I have been in touch with local MLAs in the region. While the situation continues to evolve, the administration’s first priority is to protect precious lives. The government will do all it can to help and assist the affected people who have suffered loss/damage to property due to flood.

He also clarified that the anti-statehood protest at the National Conference scheduled for July 20 in the national capital would go ahead as planned under the leadership of party chairman Farooq Abdullah.