Rain mayhem in Jammu region: 13 dead, including 9 in landslide on Vaishno Devi route

Jammu/Srinagar, Aug 26 (PTI) Rivers overflowed, the raging waters flattening everything in their way, and boulders, trees and rocks hurtled down slopes across Jammu region on Tuesday, killing at least 13 people, including nine pilgrims struck by a landslide on the Vaishno Devi route.

Relentless heavy rain led to havoc not just in Jammu, which saw flashfloods, landslides and the pilgrimage to the Vaishno Devi shrine being suspended, but also in Kashmir Valley. Infrastructure was severely damaged with bridges collapsing and mobile towers and electricity poles breaking like virtual twigs.

Telecom services collapsed in large parts of the union territory, leading to millions being cut off from communication and escalating problems, officials said.

Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar and Kishtwar-Doda national highways was suspended and dozens of hill roads were blocked or damaged by landslides or flashfloods, they said. Many trains to and from Jammu were cancelled.

The winding route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop the Trikuta hill was a picture of devastation. While nine people were killed when the mountainside literally gave way around 3 pm, 21 people were injured. The toll could go up.

Several people were feared trapped, officials said as rescuers scrambled to pull out those buried under the debris near the Inderprastha Bhojnalaya at Adhkwari. The landslide struck at a point about halfway along the winding 12-km trek from Katra town to the hilltop shrine.

There are two routes up to the shrine -- while the yatra had been suspended on the Himkoti trek route since morning, it was going on on the old route till 1.30 pm when authorities decided to suspend it as a precautionary measure in view of the rain.

Kiran, from Mohali in Punjab, was among those caught in the hail of stones, trees and boulders.

"I was coming down the hill after performing darshan when people started shouting. I saw stones falling down. I rushed to safety but was injured," Kiran told PTI Videos from a hospital bed in Katra.

"We were a group of five out of which three are injured," added another girl, traumatised by her narrow escape.

Many relatives gathered at the hospital and Vaishno Devi base camp in Katra looking for news of their loved ones. Some of the injured have been shifted to the Narayana Hospital in Katra, about 15 km from Jammu.

Three relief columns of the Army were swiftly mobilised in rescue and relief operations in and around Katra, the PRO Defence Jammu said.

"One Column is assisting in saving lives in Ardhkuwari, Katra, One relief column reached location of landslide on the road Katra to Thakra Kot and one column providing assistance south of Jaurian. Efforts are on to save lives, provide assistance to needy and take the civilians to safe areas. Close coordination with civil agencies is being carried out," he said in a post on X.

This day of rain havoc comes days after flash floods triggered by a cloudburst struck Kishtwar district's Chisoti, the last motorable village en route the Machail Mata temple, on August 14, killing 65 people, mostly pilgrims, and leaving more than 100 injured. Several people are still missing.

Twelve days on, the despair returned.

In other rain-related incidents across the Jammu province on Tuesday, at least four people were reported killed in Doda district. Three of these slipped and fell into a river, drowning in the swift flowing waters, while one died in a house collapse.

Hundreds of people were evacuated from low lying areas in the region.

Reports came in of damage to public and private infrastructure from the high altitude areas of Kishtwar, Reasi, Rajouri, Ramban, and Poonch districts, the officials said. The real picture of the disaster will emerge only after an assessment of the ground situation, they said.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah termed the situation serious.

He presided over an emergency meeting and ordered district administrators to be on high alert.

"… instructions have been issued to place additional funds at the disposal of the DCs (Deputy Commissioners) to cover emergency restoration work and other exigencies," Abdullah wrote in a post on X.

Abdullah also ordered the administration to provide essentials such as food, water, and medicine to affected families in a timely manner and prioritise relief to vulnerable groups.

The deluge has forced nearly all water bodies in the area to overflow above the danger mark, inundating low-lying areas and prominent roads.

The overflowing Modhopur barrage on the Ravi river in Kathua crossed the one lakh cusec mark, resulting in heavy flooding in Kathua district.

Major rivers such as Taranah, Ujh, Tawi, and Chenab have also overflowed their danger marks, forcing police and civil authorities to make repeated public appeals for people to shift to safer areas.

According to the meteorological department, Kathua district recorded 155.6 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending 8.30 am followed by Bhaderwah in Doda (99.8 mm), Jammu (81.5 mm), and Katra (68.8mm).

The administration issued advisories asking people to stay away from water bodies and landslide-prone areas.

The Meteorological Department held out little relief, predicting sustained moderate to heavy rain with chances of cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides up to August 27.

Authorities issued advisories for citizens to avoid water bodies and places with the risk of landslides.

As authorities worked tirelessly to pump out water from urban areas, the chief minister said assistance must immediately be sought from the fire and emergency services in case of any equipment shortage.

Reports came in of network outages in all service providers in Jammu and Kashmir following widespread damage to optical fibres at various sites.

The communication blackout impeded emergency response measures and caused panic among residents. Telecom operators said technical teams have been deployed to restore services as soon as possible.

All government and private schools in the Jammu division were directed to close till August 27. The Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education also suspended all examinations for Classes 10 and 11 that were to be held on Wednesday.

Besides, the recruitment campaign for constables in different security organisations, including the BSF, was halted for the day in Jammu. PTI TAS SSB SKL MIN VN VN