Rain kills 10 in J&K’s Jammu region, Vaishno Devi yatra halted | Jammu News
Jammu: At least 10 people were killed and 13 injured across Reasi and Doda districts as torrential rain hammered J&K’s Jammu region Tuesday, unleashing landslides and flash floods.A landslide struck near Indraprastha Bhojnalaya at Ardhkuwari en route to Vaishno Devi cave shrine in Reasi around 3pm, leaving six dead. “Rescue operations are underway,” the shrine board posted on X. Authorities halted pilgrim movement until weather clears.Three youths from Rajasthan’s Dholpur district — Yash Garg, Pranshu Mittal and Shiv Bansal — were missing after being swept away while returning from the shrine. Friends Aditya Parmar and Deepak Mittal survived by clinging to a tree as a torrent of mud and stones roared past. The group had opted for an alternative route to the temple’s base town Katra, officials said.In Doda district, four people died as swollen rivers damaged 17 houses, including govt buildings, and swept away three footbridges. “So far, four deaths have been reported across the district — two in Bhalessa, one in Thathri subdivision and one in Bhaderwah,” DC Harvinder Singh said.Rivers Chenab, Tawi, Ujh, Ravi, Sahar Khad and Basantar are in spate, flooding low-lying areas. Traffic on Jammu–Srinagar and Kishtwar–Doda highways was suspended, while scores of hilly roads lay blocked or washed out.Authorities shut schools, colleges and govt offices, except essential services, for Wednesday and warned of more downpours. The meteorological department logged 155mm rainfall in Kathua and 99mm in Bhaderwah over the past 24 hours and forecast more heavy showers, triggering fears of additional flash floods.Mobile and broadband services went dark across Jammu, and railways cancelled 18 trains as landslides tore into tracks. Authorities urged residents in vulnerable zones to remain on alert as rescue teams braced for worsening conditions.CM Omar Abdullah posted on X that he spoke to Union home minister Amit Shah and briefed 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”.Shah called the landslide on the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage route “extremely tragic”, writing on X in Hindi that he spoke to CM Abdullah and LG Manoj Sinha. “Local administration is actively engaged in relief and rescue efforts to help injured, and NDRF team is also reaching there,” he said.The Army has dispatched three relief columns — one to Ardhkuwari, another to a landslide-hit road between Katra and Thakra Kot, and a third to an area south of Jaurian.CM Abdullah also briefed Shah about the disruption in connectivity, while expressing regret that he and his colleagues were unable to travel to Jammu due to the airport’s closure, according to PTI. “I hope to be able to get there on the first flight tomorrow,” he said.(inputs from Rajendra Prasad Sharma in Alwar)
