KATHUA: Police said at least eight people were killed due to floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains in the upper reaches of Kathua district on Wednesday.Officials said that the incident occurred in the Kathua district’s Bani Tehsil’s upper reaches. According to police accounts, a family of five was buried alive after a large landslip struck their home in the village of Surjan in the Bani tehsil, 250 kilometres from the Kathua headquarters. Officials stated that “five family members were inside the house and died,” adding that three other people also perished in Sera. Locals helped the police initiate a rescue mission shortly after the tragedy.More information is awaited. The Kathua police had earlier in the day issued an advisory due to the area’s rainfall. Heavy rainfall has caused a number of landslides in Jammu and Kashmir. According to an official on Wednesday, the National Highway-44 in the Ramban area was blocked by flying stones and mud slush. NH-44 was closed in numerous places due to mudslides and shooting stones, and Deputy Commissioner Ramban warned residents not to travel until road clearance work was finished on his Twitter account.According to the Deputy Commissioner of Ramban, the clearing operation on National Highway-44 is still going on despite the rain.
