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9 Vaishno Devi pilgrims among 13 dead as rain ravages Jammu
A fourth bridge over Tawi river that connected Ware House with Bhagwati Nagar was damaged amidst heavy rains on Tuesday.
At least 13 people, including nine Vaishno Devi pilgrims, were killed as relentless torrential rains ravaged Jammu region, triggering landslides, flash floods and causing widespread chaos and damage.
With all rivers flowing above danger mark, the raging waters flattened everything in their way, and boulders, trees and rocks hurtled down slopes across the region resulting in bridge collapses and uprooting of mobile towers and electricity poles.
Chief minister Omar Abdullah briefed Union home minister Amit Shah on the serious flood situation in the Jammu region. Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar, Jammu-Pathankot, Kishtwar-Doda national highways was suspended and dozens of hill roads were blocked or damaged by landslides or flash floods, officials said.
As many as 18 trains to and from Katra, Udhampur and Jammu railway stations were cancelled, while call and mobile internet outages were reported across all service providers in J&K as optical fibres got damaged due to the calamity.
All government and private schools in the Jammu division were closed 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.
Floods and landslides are common during the June-September monsoon season, but experts say climate change, coupled with poorly planned development, is increasing their frequency, severity and impact.
The winding route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop the Trikuta hill was a picture of devastation. At least six people were killed when the mountainside literally gave way around 3 pm and 14 people were injured, said officials. 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, officials said. The landslide hit a protection shed at a point about halfway along the 12-km trek from Katra town to the hilltop shrine. The authorities have suspended the yatra as a precautionary measure.
“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,” said Kiran, an injured pilgrim from a hospital bed in Katra. 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.
“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.
In rain-battered Doda district, three women among 4 people were killed in rain-related incidents. Doda deputy commissioner Harvinder Singh said a girl Asia Banoo, 13, of Amritpura village died after landslide hit her house. A woman Rahila Banoo of Thanala, Bhaderwah, died due to house collapse amid heavy rains while Aman Noor Mohammad of Pora, tehsil Kahara, and Rubeena Begum of Dhankhar Samie were swept away gushing waters,” he said, adding that at least 18 houses were also damaged in the district.
CM Omar termed the situation “quite serious”. “Spoke to @AmitShah ji on the phone to brief him about the situation in J&K, especially Jammu province, where heavy and continuous rains have caused a lot of damage and disruption to normal life,” Abdullah posted on his X handle.
Omar also presided over an emergency meeting and ordered district administrators to be on high alert. 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.
A fourth bridge over Tawi river that connected Ware House with Bhagwati Nagar was damaged amidst heavy rains on Tuesday. Some of the commuters, who were in their cars, had a narrow escape.
Traffic movement on Jammu-Pathankot national highway has also been suspended in view of inclement weather and damage to a key bridge over Sahar Khad, near Kalibari, in Kathua district.
Reports of damage to public and private infrastructure were also received from high-altitude areas of Kishtwar, Reasi, Rajouri, Ramban and Poonch districts, the officials said, adding the real picture will emerge only after an assessment of the ground situation.
The deluge has forced nearly all the 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 during the last 24 hours ending 8.30 am followed by Bhaderwah in Doda at 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. (with agency inputs)
