JAMMU, July 19: Ten people were killed, eight went missing while at least 20 vehicles were washed away and nearly 40 others suffered damage as flash-floods triggered by multiple cloudbursts, wreaked havoc in Rajouri and Poonch districts during early hours today.
The flash floods also caused damage to at least 47 houses and other structures in Surankote area of Poonch while at least a score of shops, and other structures were damaged in Rajouri area. About 45 people trapped in floods were rescued from Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch areas today.
Due to flash floods many electricity poles and half a dozen transformers were damaged and power supply to several areas of Thannamandi, Darhal in Rajouri and Surankote, Mandi and Haveli areas of Poonch was snapped.
Official sources said that 15 persons were washed away or buried under the debris in Surankote area of Poonch due to flash floods trigged by multiple cloudbursts in the upper reaches during early morning hours today.
While seven bodies could be traced by the Army, Police and the SDRF men with the help of locals by this evening, eight others were still missing. Three persons were injured in these incidents and were removed to hospital.
Reports said that at least four dozen houses and other structures/water mills etc. were damaged due to cloudburst/flash flood. Dozens of the cattle of the affected villagers also perished in the flash floods in Suran river and adjoining Nallahas.
A police official said that a residential house was washed away at Marrah village of Surankote due to flash flood, while eight members of a family went missing. Three bodies of this family were later retrieved while remaining five bodies dumped under the debris were yet to be traced.
Another house of a villager was washed away at Sangla village. One body of this family has been retrieved while the search for three other missing was going on, the official said.
A villager was washed away at Sanglani and another at Marhote in Surankote Sub Division. The bodies of both these villagers were retrieved. A Kucha house collapsed in Haveli area of Poonch in which a woman Nazia Kouser died, and her husband Mohd hafiz, was severely injured. He was removed to District Hospital Poonch and later referred to GMC Rajouri for advance treatment. Two children received injuries in the incident.
Tehsildar Mandi, Ashfaq Hussain said that a few residential houses received partial damage in Kehnu area due to cloudburst. A vehicle was also damaged at Chakatroo in the incident.
Sub Divisional Magistrate Surankote, Farooq Khan Nazki and Tehsildar Haveli Azhar Majid said that the teams of civil, police administration, Indian Army, locals along with SDRF and other agencies are on job to retrieve the missing bodies. They said more than 30 people were rescued from the riveside. People in the residential areas along the water bodies have been asked to stay alert for next few days as the MET has predicted flash floods and heavy rains in the region.
Reports from Rajouri said that a devastating flash flood triggered by cloudburst caused widespread destruction in Rajouri, leaving a woman dead and a Jal Shakti Department daily-wage worker missing. The flood wreaked havoc along the banks of Thannamandi River , washed away about two dozens of vehicles, and caused extensive damage to at least forty other vehicles at Bus Stand near Bela Colony in Rajouri and residential houses, shops, public infrastructure, agricultural land and the livestock.
The flash floods struck Rajouri town at around 2.45 am on Sunday after heavy rainfall lashed Thannamandi, Darhal and the upper hilly areas. The sudden rise in the water level of the Sukhto River and other seasonal streams inundated several low-lying localities, disrupting normal life across the district. Houses, shops, roads and public infrastructure suffered extensive damage, while many families were forced to evacuate to safer locations.
The district administration, along with the Army, SDRF, Police, Civil Defence and other rescue agencies, immediately launched large-scale rescue and relief operations in the affected areas. Officials said a comprehensive assessment of the losses is underway, with all concerned departments compiling detailed reports on the damage.
The worst-hit area was Bela Colony, where floodwaters breached the river protection wall and entered the New Bela Bus Stand and adjoining residential localities. Around 20 vehicles parked at the bus stand were swept away by the powerful currents, while nearly 40 other vehicles sustained severe damage. Several commercial establishments, workshops and shops located behind Bela Colony were completely destroyed. The Bela Bus Stand was established few years ago.
Eyewitnesses described the flood as one of the worst witnessed in Rajouri in recent decades, with vehicles being carried away within minutes by the raging waters. They held past district administrations/ MCR responsible for establishing Bus Stand and shopping complex at the bank of this river and wasting huge public money. They said most of the state land was encroached upon along the bank of the Nallah by some influential people who raised shops with the connivance of officials in the local administration.
The flood also devastated the slum settlements near Abdullah Bridge and Tariq Bridge. More than 50 families lost their homes after floodwaters submerged the settlements. A woman, identified as Pinky Devi, lost her life after being swept away in the flood, and her body was later recovered by rescue teams. Besides the tragic loss of life, several families lost livestock, household belongings and their lifetime savings, leaving them with nothing but the clothes they were wearing.
Within hours of the disaster, rescue teams launched coordinated operations to evacuate stranded residents and shift them to safer places. The district administration established a relief camp at the Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Rajouri, where more than 50 affected families have been provided temporary shelter. Every affected family is being supplied with seven days’ dry ration, drinking water, medicines, blankets, tents and sanitation kits.
Deputy Commissioner Rajouri, Abhishek Sharma, accompanied by SSP, Gaurav Sikarwar visited the affected sites / relief camp, interacted with the displaced families and assured them of every possible assistance. He said the administration had mobilised all departments immediately after receiving information about the flash floods and launched rescue operations on a war footing in coordination with the Army, SDRF, Police and other agencies.
“Our immediate priority is to save lives and provide shelter, food, medicines and every essential facilities to the affected families. Damage assessment is being carried out simultaneously, and all eligible victims will receive assistance as per government norms. We are closely monitoring the situation round the clock, and no effort will be spared in restoring normalcy at the earliest,” the Deputy Commissioner said.
At Behrote, Abdul Ghani (50), son of Mohammad Rafiq, a daily-wage worker of the Jal Shakti Department, was washed away by floodwaters while performing his duty. His body was yet to be recovered. Following the incident. Local residents staged a protest by blocking the road and demanding immediate action. Deputy Commissioner reached the spot, met the bereaved family and local residents and assured them of every possible support.
The flash floods also caused heavy damage to the DKG-Bufliaz Road, disrupting traffic movement, while a graveyard in the Manjakote area suffered extensive destruction. Across the district, agricultural land, standing crops, irrigation channels and rural infrastructure have been severely damaged, causing huge losses to farmers. Hundreds of kanals of fertile agricultural land was inundated, with crops either washed away or buried under silt and debris, leaving many farming families facing severe economic hardship.
The public livestock also suffered massive losses across Rajouri district. Several cattle, sheep, goats and poultry birds were washed away or perished in the floodwaters, particularly in low-lying and rural areas. Numerous livestock sheds were damaged or destroyed, resulting in substantial financial losses to the families who depend primarily on animal husbandry for their livelihood.
The Army troops, working closely with the Police, SDRF and the civil administration, carried out multiple rescue operations across the flood-affected areas of Rajouri. Despite extremely challenging conditions and swift water currents, the Army rescued 11 civilians, including five children. Nine people stranded near Churung village in Thannamandi and two youth marooned on a river island in Manawar Tawi near Dhangri were safely evacuated.
Another body of an unidentified youth washed away in flash flood was recovered near Nowshera bridge. The body had been trapped in the rocks. It could not be retrieved despite tough efforts by the police and SDRF men till this evening.
Reports from Mendhar said that due to flash flood in Trakas Nalla the traffic on Rajouri-BG and Mendhar road remained suspended for about three hours during morning hours today. They said the flood water was crossing over the Dakki bridge on Mendhar-Mankote-KG road and the traffic also remained suspended on this road for about two and half hours. The flash flood also hit the movement of traffic on Mendhar- Ari/Harni- Jarran Wali Gali road.
Tehsildar Mendhar, Rahul Basotra said the administration had issued a weather advisory well in advance and circulated it extensively through field staff, local officials, and various communication groups to ensure maximum public awareness ahead of the heavy rainfall.
He said the timely dissemination of the advisory played a crucial role in preventing any loss of human life, although heavy rains caused damage to public infrastructure and private property in several areas.
Basotra said the Soiyan-Simbla road suffered significant damage after a local stream breached its embankments. The overflowing stream also posed a threat to nearby houses,
Meanwhile, an official spokesman said that widespread heavy rainfall across the Jammu Division triggered multiple emergencies on Sunday prompting swift and coordinated rescue operations by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Civil Defence, Volunteers Home Guards (VHG), and the local police. Timely interventions by SDRF teams resulted in the safe evacuation of several stranded persons and livestock from flood-affected areas across multiple districts of the Jammu Province.
He said SDRF Rajouri conducted a series of rescue operations during the early hours of the day. At around 3 am, after receiving information that several houses in Atti- Fatehpur area have been trapped in flash flood, an SDRF team led by SI Mohd. Ashraf immediately rushed to the affected area and safely evacuated stranded families to secure locations.
Later, at 5:30 am , the SDRF team was deployed to Charung Nallah, Thanamandi, where 15 persons had been stranded due to a sudden rise in the water level. All 15 individuals were rescued safely. The team was subsequently mobilized to Muradpur, Rajouri, where two more persons were successfully evacuated from flood-affected conditions.
The SDRF carried out multiple rescue operations at different locations across Poonch district. At Dahlera, the team rescued one individual along with 32 sheep stranded due to rising water levels. Simultaneously, rescue teams safely evacuated around 20 persons from Kalai and Chandak, while two more individuals were rescued from Bainch.
In Nowshera, the SDRF, Civil Defence, and VHG rescue team successfully rescued Dolly Sharma, son of Dhan Raj, resident of Lamberi, who was stranded in the Dandani River at around 8:40 am.
Three youth trapped in Tawi river near Peer Kho in Jammu were also rescued by SDRF and police after strenuous efforts. The individuals were identified as Randeep, Vikas Vaibhav, and Munish.
Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar, Pankaj Sharma said that due to flash flood in Kwar Nallah in Dachhan block, a house and cow-shed were damaged today. About a dozen cattle said to have perished in the incident. Due to flash flood in Batwani Nallah in Chhatroo, the mud and slush entered a mosque and Madarsa. Later it was cleared.
Due to heavy flood in river Tawi, a tube of National Highway near Samroli , between Udhampur and Chenani was damaged. The traffic was diverted to the single tube.
Due to landslide near northern portal of Chenani-Nashri Tunnel, a tube of the NH was also blocked. The traffic was diverted to single tube.
Due to heavy rain, flash flood at Chobu Nallah and land slides Udhampur-Pancheri and Kainthgali-Moungari roads were blocked. The traffic could not be restored till this evening, the reports said.
River Chenab was flowing near alert mark at Akhnoor due to heavy flood during morning hours around 7 and 8 am. The water level was 30.4 ft during early morning hours. River Tawi was was also swollen and general alert had been sounded in the low lying areas.
The MeT office has predicted heavy rain and flash floods/landslides in several districts including Reasi, Udhampur, Ramban, Jammu, Kathua and Samba, besides parts of Doda Kishtwar and Rajouri, Poonch from July 19 to 23.
Authorities have appealed to the residents living near rivers, streams and vulnerable areas to remain vigilant, avoid unnecessary movement and strictly follow official advisories until weather condition improves.
