Examiner Bureau | Poonch:
Torrential rains triggered a wave of destructive landslides and flash floods across the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri on Sunday, leaving at least 11 people dead and seven others missing. The scale of the disaster has prompted a massive multi-agency rescue operation, officials reported.
The severe weather conditions caused widespread devastation, with Poonch district’s Surankote tehsil bearing the brunt of the casualties. Heavy rain and heavily damaged road networks have significantly hampered the efforts of emergency teams racing against time to locate the missing.
In a catastrophic incident early Sunday morning, a landslide struck a residence in Lower Murrah village, Surankote, burying all eight occupants under heavy debris. Rescue teams have successfully retrieved five bodies, including that of a two-year-old boy, Sofian Yasar. Operations remain active to locate the remaining missing individuals.
Further tragedy struck Sangla village, where four members of a single family were reported missing after their house was completely washed away by flash floods. The missing persons have been identified as Abdul Hameed, his wife Sharifa Begum, their daughter Areeba, and Hameed’s sister, Manira Begum.
In Noonabandi village, 28-year-old Nazia Kousar was killed when her home collapsed. Her husband, Mohd Hafiz, and their three young children (aged two to six) were rescued with injuries and moved to a local hospital.
In Sanglani-Surankote, 22-year-old Shahzaib Ahmad lost his life in a separate house collapse.
In Haveli tehsil, the collapse of nearly half a dozen homes resulted in one death and left another individual critically injured.
Waterways have turned lethal as well; a minor girl named Iram drowned in a stream at Marhote, while an unidentified woman’s body was recovered near the Dhundak Lathoong bridge.
In neighboring Rajouri town, relentless overnight rainfall caused rivers to breach their banks, inundating low-lying areas. The bodies of a woman was fished out from a river in the town, and hundreds of residents were forced to evacuate to safer locations. The flash floods also swept away or submerged dozens of vehicles and left a trail of severe damage to public and private infrastructure.
Rescue and relief teams, alongside local administrative units, remain deployed to evacuate marooned families and evaluate structural damage. Local Congress MLA Iftkhar Ahmad abandoned a scheduled statehood restoration protest outside Lok Bhavan in Jammu to return to his constituency, stating, “I have abandoned my party programme to stand with my people, as the flash floods have caused extensive damage to public and private property.”
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha formally reviewed the crisis in the flood-hit border districts, directing administrative officials to ensure the immediate deployment of relief materials and financial assistance to the affected families.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who was in New Delhi for a planned statehood protest, cut short his visit to return to Jammu to personally oversee the emergency response.
In a statement shared on X, the Chief Minister emphasized that safeguarding human life is the administration’s topmost priority:
“In light of the weather warning put out by the meteorological department and the seriousness of the situation unfolding across parts of Jammu division, I will leave Delhi to fly to Jammu this afternoon to personally monitor the situation on the ground. The government will do everything possible to aid & assist affected people who have suffered property loss/damage due to the rains & flash floods.”
The Meteorological Department has issued a weather advisory warning that moderate to heavy rainfall is expected to persist across Jammu and Kashmir until July 23, raising concerns over potential secondary flooding and further landslides.
