Rajouri, Jul 19: In a remarkable display of courage, professionalism and commitment to humanitarian assistance, troops of the Indian Army under White Knight Corps, in close coordination with the Jammu & Kashmir Police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the civil administration, successfully rescued eleven civilians, including five children, stranded at different locations in the flood-affected Rajouri district following incessant rainfall and flash floods.

In the first operation, Army troops responded swiftly to reports of nine civilians, including five children, stranded across a flooded Nala near Churung Village, south of Thanamandi. Despite strong currents and challenging weather conditions, the rescue teams reached the site promptly and safely evacuated all the stranded civilians.

In a parallel rescue operation, troops of Engineer Regiment rescued two youths, aged between 17 and 20 years, who had become marooned on a river island in the Naushera Tawi River near Dhangri, approximately 12 km from Rajouri. Displaying exceptional courage and skill, the rescue team braved strong water currents and successfully brought both youths to safety. They were subsequently handed over to their families in the presence of officials from the civil administration, Rajouri.

These timely rescue operations underscore the Indian Army’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding lives and extending assistance to the people during natural disasters and emergencies. The seamless coordination between the Army, Police, SDRF and civil administration ensured the successful execution of both rescue missions without any loss of life.

The Indian Army remains steadfast in its resolve to serve the nation and its citizens, standing shoulder to shoulder with the people in times of crisis.

Banihal, Jul 19: Heavy overnight rainfall triggered fresh mudslides and shooting stones at multiple locations along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44), disrupting traffic movement in the Nashri-Chenani sector on Sunday, officials said.

According to traffic officials, mudslides and shooting stones were reported at several locations inside the uptube between Jakhani and Chenani in Udhampur district. The affected stretches were promptly cleared by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), allowing traffic to resume.

However, the recently reclaimed down tube near Dewal in Udhampur district sustained fresh damage due to the incessant rainfall, forcing the authorities to divert both Jammu-bound and Srinagar-bound traffic through the uptube.

In another incident, a massive mudslide triggered by continuous rain blocked a portion of the uptube near the Nashri roundabout in Ramban district, prompting the traffic authorities to temporarily divert vehicles through the down tube until the debris is cleared.

Officials said NHAI has pressed men and machinery into service to restore the affected stretches at the earliest. Motorists have been advised to drive cautiously and adhere to traffic advisories, as the continuing rainfall has increased the risk of further mudslides and shooting stones along the highway.

Jammu, Jul 19: At least eight people were killed and six others went missing as torrential rains triggered landslides and flash floods in the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, prompting a multi-agency rescue operation.

The worst devastation was reported from Surankote tehsil in Poonch district, where most of the fatalities occurred, while rescue teams raced against time to trace the missing amid continuing rain and damaged roads, the officials said.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who was in Delhi for the proposed statehood protest, said he will cut short his stay in the national capital and return to Jammu in the afternoon in view of the worsening situation across parts of the division following heavy rains.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha reviewed the situation in the rain and flash flood-hit districts and directed officials to ensure immediate relief and assistance to the affected families.

A landslide triggered by torrential rains struck a house in Lower Murrah village of Surankote during the early hours of Sunday, burying all eight occupants under the debris, the officials said.

They said rescue teams recovered the bodies of Bano Bi (60) and two-year-old Sofian Yasar, while a search operation was continuing to trace the remaining six missing persons, including a woman and four children.

A 28-year-old woman, Nazia Kousar, was killed when her house collapsed in Noonabandi village. Her Husband, Mohd Hafiz, and three children, aged between two and six years, were rescued with injuries and shifted to a hospital, officials said.

Shahzaib Ahmad (22) lost his life when his house collapsed at Sanglani-Surankote, while a minor girl identified as Iram drowned in a stream at Marhote. An unidentified body of a woman was also fished out from a stream near Dhundak Lathoong bridge, officials said.

One person was killed and another critically injured following collapse of nearly half-a-dozen houses in Haveli tehsil of Poonch district, the officials said.

They said body of a woman was also fished out from a river in Rajouri town which was hit by flash floods following incessant overnight rainfall, forcing hundreds of residents to move to safer locations as floodwaters inundated low-lying areas.

Dozens of vehicles were swept away or submerged after overflowing rivers breached their banks, causing widespread disruption, the officials said.

They said rescue and relief teams, assisted by the local administration, were engaged in evacuating affected families and assessing the damage, while local Congress MLA Iftkhar Ahmad said there was heavy damage to public and private property in the flash floods.

As a weather advisory warned of moderate to heavy rainfall across Jammu and Kashmir till July 23, the border district of Rajouri and Poonch experienced relentless rain from Saturday evening, leading to overflowing rivers and streams after a night of heavy downpour.

Rajouri MLA Ahmed, who was scheduled to participate in his party’s protest in support of the restoration of statehood outside Lok Bhavan in Jammu on Sunday, returned to his hometown to assess the flood situation.

“I have abandoned my party programme to stand with my people, as the flash floods have caused extensive damage to public and private property,” Ahmad said.

In a post on X, the chief minister said he is returning from Delhi and would personally monitor the situation on the ground.

“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 chief minister said.

“Since first light this morning I’ve been closely monitoring the situation arising from the extremely heavy rain in parts of Jammu, especially Rajouri town & surrounding areas. I’ve been in touch with the local MLAs of the region. While the situation continues to unfold the first priority of the administration is to safeguard precious lives. The government will do everything possible to aid & assist affected people who have suffered property loss/damage due to the rains & flash floods,” he said.

Abdullah also stated that the National Conference’s planned statehood protest in Delhi on July 20 will continue as scheduled under the leadership of National Conference president Farooq Abdullah.

Jammu, Jul 19: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday said that he will cut short his stay in Delhi and return to Jammu on Sunday afternoon in view of the worsening situation across parts of the division following heavy rains.

Heavy rains have lashed many parts of Jammu division, especially Rajouri.

Officials said Rajouri town was hit by flash floods following incessant overnight rainfall, forcing hundreds of residents to move to safer locations as floodwaters inundated low-lying areas.

In a post on X, Abdullah said he would personally monitor the situation on the ground.

“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 chief minister said.

“Since first light this morning I’ve been closely monitoring the situation arising from the extremely heavy rain in parts of Jammu, especially Rajouri town & surrounding areas. I’ve been in touch with the local MLAs of the region. While the situation continues to unfold the first priority of the administration is to safeguard precious lives. The government will do everything possible to aid & assist affected people who have suffered property loss/damage due to the rains & flash floods,” he said.

Abdullah also stated that the National Conference’s planned statehood protest in Delhi on July 20 will continue as scheduled under the leadership of National Conference president Farooq Abdullah.

Banihal, Jul 19: One person was killed and four others were injured after an Alto car skidded off the Banihal-Mangit road and plunged into a deep gorge near Aaramdhaka in the Mangit area of Tehsil Khari in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ramban district on Sunday morning.

The accident took place around 8:15 a.m. when the car (PB-11BS-3417) was travelling from Mangit village towards Banihal. Police said the driver lost control of the vehicle near Aaramdhaka, causing it to roll down into a deep gorge.

Soon after the accident, teams from Banihal Police, NGO Banihal volunteers and QRT Khari, assisted by two ambulances from Sub-District Hospital (SDH) Banihal, rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation.

During the rescue operation, Gulzar Ahmed Lone (50), son of Ali Mohammad Lone, was found dead at the scene.

The injured were identified as Mohd Ishaq (28), son of Abdul Rehman Khanday; Mohd Rafiq (31), son of Abdul Rashid; Nawaz Ahmed (33), son of Abdul Ahad; and Zaiba Begum (45), wife of Abdul Ahad. All four were shifted to SDH Banihal for treatment.

A nine-year-old boy, Hamad, son of Nawaz Ahmed, was also travelling in the vehicle. He escaped unhurt and is reported to be safe.

Police have registered a case and initiated an investigation to ascertain the exact cause of the accident.