Flood, rain kill 26 more in J&K, toll reaches 100

Fifteen people were buried alive as their house collapsed because of a landslide at Thanamandi area of Rajouri district, while police and army personnel were still struggling to fish out the bodies of around 70 passengers, feared drowned after a bus plunged into a swollen nullah near Nowshera. So far only five bodies have been recovered.

With flood fury worsening and no let up in heavy rain, sources said more than 80 people have died across Jammu region during the last three days, while at least 100 buildings suffered damages due to flash flood. Several towns in the region were cut-off as various roads, including both the Jammu-Srinagar and Batote-Doda national highways, remained closed due to landslides and flood. Srinagar-Leh national highway also remained shut for the second day.

While the IAF has pressed into service its helicopters to rescue people from the flood-hit areas, the Army launched Operation Megh Rahat, evacuating more than 2,000 people trapped at different places across the region.

The Vaishno Devi yatra has also been suspended following landslides at some places enroute the holy shrine.

In Kashmir, at least 11 people were killed in a flash flood on Friday, taking the death toll to 17 in the Valley. Army and police personnel have so far rescued 2,000 people as rain continued to lash the region.

In Uri’s Boneyar area, locals said that more than a dozen huts belonging to Army’s Rashtriya Rifles and 18 Battalion of BSF were washed away by the flood currents.

In the morning, a bridge collapsed on the Srinagar-Uri national highway near Boniyar town. To meet any exigency, Army has deployed 50 columns and kept 71 on standby along with six helicopters.

Several areas of Srinagar city were also inundated due to heavy rain and flash floods. “My family could not sleep for the whole night. This is for the first time in my life I have seen such a bad situation,” said Burhan Khalid from Rambagh area of Srinagar.

Javed Jafer, Chief Engineer, Flood Control and Irrigation Department, said that the situation in the city was stable and water has started receding in some areas. “Once the rainfall stops, the water across the Valley would start receding.”

MeT official in Srinagar said that there would be an improvement in the weather from Saturday. “From tomorrow morning there would be less rain across the Kashmir Valley,” the official said.