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3 dead in flash floods across Jammu, 4 rescued
A fresh landslide hit the new track to the Vaishno Devi cave shrine on Thursday; the track had already been closed as a preventive measure following landslides on Monday
Two minor cousins among three persons died while four others were rescued after flash floods triggered by heavy rains hit different areas of Rajouri, Poonch, Doda and Kathua districts on Thursday, said officials.
“Shafqat Ali (14) and his cousin Safeena Kouser (11), residents of Sialsui Mohu, died after they were swept away in a flash flood in a rivulet in the village in Kalalote subdivision of Rajouri district,” said a police officer. Saima (10), who was also trapped, was rescued by local volunteers and shifted to a hospital, he added. The children were grazing their cattle when the flood hit the area.
In another incident, the body of Basharat Hussain (32), a resident of Dunadi village, was fished out by a team of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) from Lopa rivulet in Doda district. “The man drowned while taking a bath on the river bank on June 23,” said the officer.
In a separate incident, SDRF personnel rescued two men — Baldev Raj (35) and Sushil Kumar (25) — from swollen Ujh river near Jarmal village in Nagri block of Kathua district. The duo had gone fishing and got trapped due to a sudden rise in the water level following heavy rains in its catchment areas. SDRF also rescued a person from a stream in Poonch.
Flash floods were also reported from Qazi Mohra in Poonch and different high-altitude areas of Doda, Udhampur and Ramban districts, but there was no report of more casualty.
Meanwhile, a fresh landslide was reported at the new track to the Vaishno Devi cave shrine on Thursday, said officials . The track had already been closed as a preventive measure following landslides on Monday. As a preventive measure, the new track remains closed for undertaking the pilgrimage, said the official.
However, the pilgrimage is progressing smoothly through the old route, while both battery car and helicopter service remained suspended, he added. The landslide occurred near Satya view point along the Himkoti route at a time when the shrine board had already diverted the pilgrimage to the old route owing to incessant rains and lurking threat of landslides on the new track. A landslide also hit the track leading to Bhairav temple, disrupting the movement of pilgrims, he said.
The administration has deployed men and machinery to clear the debris on both the tracks. On June 24, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha directed identifying of vulnerable spots along the pilgrimage route and implementing necessary measures to address and mitigate potential risks of landslides and shooting stones, ensuring a safer environment for devotees.
Traffic movement on Srinagar-Leh National Highway has also been impacted following a cloudburst, triggering landslides, in Pandrass area in Drass subdivision of Kargil district on Wednesday evening.
The Met department has forecast light to moderate rain with thunder and intense showers at many places with possibility of heavy rain at few places of Jammu division till June 27. From June 28 to July 2, the MeT department has forecast spells of rain and thunder at scattered places.
