Torrential rain across J-K; 2 killed in house collapse, 100 rescued

Jammu/Srinagar, Sep 3 (PTI) A woman and her daughter were killed and 100 others rescued on Wednesday as relentless rain battered wide parts of Jammu and Kashmir, leaving most of the water bodies in spate and many low-lying areas inundated, officials said.  Incessant rain since Tuesday triggered landslides, flash floods, and landslips at multiple places, damaging dozens of houses and shutting many major roads, including the all-weather Srinagar-Jammu national highway for the second day.  His office on X said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has directed the administration to clear waterlogged areas, safeguard essential services, and carry out timely evacuations in critical zones.

Sita Devi, 55, and her daughter Sonia, 23, died in Kangri village of Sunderbani in Rajouri district when their house collapsed on them.  The Border Security Force (BSF) flew a helicopter to launch a high-risk rescue operation to evacuate 47 civilians trapped in a flooded village in the Akhnoor sector.

The mission was launched after police and state and national disaster response forces failed to rescue the marooned in Fathu Kotli village in Garkhal area because of a bellowing Chenab river.

Chenab now flows several feet above its evacuation level of 42 feet, officials said. At least 25 people were also rescued from different flooded villages in Jammu and Samba districts, while 25 nomadic families stranded under a bridge were brought to safety in south Kashmir's Anantnag district.

In the neighbouring Kulgam district, five nomadic families were rescued by police from Brazloo village after the water level rose in the Vaishov Nalla on Tuesday night, officials said.

Many areas in south Kashmir, including Pulwama, Shopian, and Kulgam, are in flood.  The Jhelum River is flowing two feet above the danger mark of 25 feet in upstream Sangam, while it almost touched the danger mark of 21 feet in downstream Ram Munshi Bagh in Srinagar, where rain stopped around noon.    Emergency helplines have been set up at several police stations.  Authorities said the water level in most of the water bodies is likely to recede tonight.    The situation in the Jammu region is grim due to continuous rain.  The Chenab here in particular was in rage, with its water level remaining above the evacuation level of 42 feet.  However, the water level of the Tawi in Udhampur and Jammu, Ujh, Ravi in Kathua and Basanter in Samba remained below the flood-alert level.  The MET office has predicted mostly dry weather across Jammu and Kashmir from September 4 to 10.

People in the Union Territory witnessed the worst phase of the Monsoon last week when the Jammu region experienced record rainfall on August 26 and 27, leaving behind a trail of death and destruction.  Officials said the fourth Tawi bridge near Bhagwati Nagar in Jammu city was closed for vehicular traffic late Tuesday evening as a precautionary measure.  The bridge suffered damage in the August 26 rainfall, and the connectivity was restored by the army, which constructed a Bailey bridge on August 29.

According to the MET office, by 5.30 pm, Katra town of Reasi received 318.4 mm of rain, the highest for the day, followed by Batote in Ramban, 211.3 mm, Banihal, 143 mm, and Jammu, 146.9 mm.  In Kashmir, Qazigund in Kulgam recorded the highest, 111.6 mm, of rainfall during the same period, followed by Kokernag, 111.4 mm, Pahalgam, 74.8 mm, Srinagar, 46.9 mm, and Gulmarg in north Kashmir, 10 mm.   According to the Traffic department, Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, Mughal road, Jammu-Srinagar-Leh National Highway, and Jammu-Kishtwar National Highway are closed for vehicular movement following multiple landslides and shooting of stones from the hillocks.

Authorities extended the closure of all government and private schools across the UT for Thursday.

Meanwhile, pilgrimage to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, ensconced in the Trikuta hills, remained suspended for the ninth day amid continuous rain.

The yatra to the shrine was suspended on August 26, a couple of hours before a major landslide triggered by rains struck the old route near Ardhkuwari and killed 34 pilgrims and injured 20 others.

Officials said reports of damage to dozens of residential houses were reported from Doda, Kishtwar, Rajouri, Poonch, Ramban and Reasi districts. PTI TAS MIJ VN VN