Lahore, Aug 27: More than 100 people, mostly staff members, were stranded as floodwaters from the Ravi River inundated the Kartarpur Corridor, including Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, in Narowal district of Pakistan’s Punjab province, officials said Wednesday.

“The entire Kartarpur Corridor complex, including Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, has been submerged by high floodwater,” Saifullah Khokar, head of the Kartarpur Corridor Project Management Unit, told PTI.

He said the trapped people, mostly staff members of the Kartarpur Project Management Unit, were being rescued by boats and a helicopter.

Images and videos circulating on social media show the revered Sikh shrine surrounded by floodwaters.

The Pakistani government opened the Kartarpur Corridor in November 2019, which is around 4.1 kilometres from the Pakistan-India border.

The corridor links Pakistan’s Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, where the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev, lived and died at the start of the 16th century, to the Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district. The 4 km-long corridor provides visa-free access to Indian pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib.

According to Narowal Deputy Commissioner Hasan Raza, hundreds of residents have also been evacuated from flooded areas after India released water into the Ravi, causing the river to swell beyond capacity.

The Ravi River, which can hold 150,000 cusecs, was flowing at 155,000 cusecs at Kot Nain in Shakargarh tehsil, he added.

On Sunday, India communicated flood warnings to Pakistan through diplomatic channels on “humanitarian grounds”.

A day after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, India took a series of punitive measures against Pakistan that included putting the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in “abeyance”. Usually, flood alerts are shared through the Indus Water Commission.

Thousands of acres of farmland have been submerged, damaging rice crops and animal fodder, officials said.

Raza stated that heavy rains over the past 24 hours and overflow from drains in Auj, Bayan and Dek further worsened the situation, inundating villages and crop fields, forcing people to migrate to safer places.

Meanwhile, authorities have warned of a high flood in the River Ravi at Shahdara on Wednesday night as Punjab is facing an “exceptionally high” risk of flooding due to heavy rains and the water released by India from the dams, Geo News reported.

At Shahdara in Lahore, the river is currently flowing at 72,900 cusecs, putting low-lying areas, including Shahdara, Park View and Motorway-2 at risk of flooding.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired an emergency meeting on Wednesday to review the situation. He directed authorities to improve early warning systems to ensure timely alerts.

The provincial government called in army troops earlier in the day to help rescue people from already flooded areas in Punjab, and for relief and evacuation efforts.

Over 250,000 people have been evacuated from flood-prone areas to safer places across Punjab amid rising water levels in almost all eastern rivers.

Srinagar, Aug 27: Amid inclement weather conditions, the government has decided to close all the educational institutions across Jammu and Kashmir tomorrow (Thursday).

Health and Education Minister, Sakeena Itoo said that the schools and colleges across Jammu and Kashmir shall remain closed on Thursday.

The decision, according to the Minister, has been taken due to the inclement weather conditions.

Pertinently, the heavy rainfall has triggered flood-like situation across Jammu and Kashmir with the water level in rivers Jhelum and other streams flowing above the flood declaration mark in Kashmir and above danger mark in Jammu division—(KNO)

Jammu, Aug 27: The death toll in the Vaishno Devi landslide has gone up to 32 with rescuers pulling out more bodies from under the debris, officials said on Wednesday, a day after disaster struck the route to the hilltop shrine in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district.

At least 20 people were injured in the landslide triggered by heavy, relentless rain and are undergoing treatment in different hospitals, officials said.

With fears that more people could be trapped, rescue teams are continuing to dig through the mounds of rubble to look for survivors. While 30 bodies were recovered from the debris, two of those injured died in hospital.

The pilgrimage to the shrine was suspended when the mountainside literally gave way and stones, boulders and rocks came hurtling down around 3 pm on Tuesday, catching people unawares.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his prayers are for everyone’s safety and well-being.

“The loss of lives due to a landslide on the route to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Temple is saddening. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover at the earliest. The administration is assisting all those affected,” he said in a post on X.

The landslide struck near the Inderprastha Bhojnalaya at Adhkwari, about halfway along the winding 12-km trek from Katra to the shrine.

There are two routes up to the shrine — while the yatra had been suspended on the Himkoti trek route since morning on Tuesday, it was going on on the old route till afternoon when authorities decided to suspend it as a precautionary measure.

Unrelenting, torrential rain for days together has created havoc in Jammu region.

On August 14, a cloudburst triggered flashfloods in Chisoti, the last motorable village en route to the Machail Mata shrine, in Kishtwar district leaving behind a trail of death and destruction. At least 65 people, mostly pilgrims, were killed, more than 100 injured and 32 are still missing.

Doda, Aug 26: In view of flood scare across Jammu and Kashmir, authorities in Doda on Tuesday appealed public to remain vigilant and avoid venturing near water bodies.

This was expressed by Deputy Commissioner (DC) Doda Harvinder Singh after conducting a visit to assess the situation along the Chenab River in view of continuing spell of heavy rains across the region.

During the inspection, the DC reviewed the water levels, possible threats of erosion and the overall impact of rains on adjoining habitations and infrastructure. He directed the concerned departments to maintain strict vigil and ensure round-the-clock monitoring of the river to prevent any untoward incidents.

The DC Doda emphasized preparedness, instructing officials to keep emergency response teams on alert, reinforce vulnerable embankments and issue timely advisories for the safety of residents living near riverbanks.

He appealed to the general public to remain vigilant, avoid unnecessary movement near the river and strictly adhere to safety advisories issued by the district administration during the ongoing adverse weather conditions.

The District Administration Doda assured that all precautionary and restoration measures are being taken on priority to safeguard lives and property amidst the continuous rains.

Jammu, Aug 26: The Northern Railway has cancelled 18 trains to and from Katra, Udhampur and Jammu railway stations on Tuesday as relentless heavy rain wreaked havoc in the Jammu region, officials said.

The Jammu region has been experiencing its heaviest rainfall in decades since Monday night, which damaged bridges, disrupted road connectivity and inundated large tracts of land, forcing people to shift to safer areas.

The traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar and Kishtwar-Doda national highways was suspended, while dozens of hilly roads were blocked or damaged by landslides or flash floods, the officials said, adding the pilgrimage to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine was also suspended as a precautionary measure.

A railway official said, “Eighteen trains have been cancelled. Four trains have been subjected to short terminations. This has been done in view of the weather conditions prevailing in the region.”

Of the trains cancelled, seven are from Katra, the base camp of the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, two from Udhampur and one from Jammu, the officials said, adding that trains to Katra and Udhampur have also been cancelled.

Train services from Pathankot to Kandrori in Himachal Pradesh have also been suspended due to heavy soil erosion and flash floods on the Chakki river, according to railway officials.

Four trains were short-terminated at Firozpur, Manda and Chak Rakhwalan, they said, adding that movement of trains on the Katra-Srinagar stretch was continuing.

Jammu, Aug 26: The Directorate of School Education Jammu on Monday ordered closure of all Government and private schools across Jammu Division till Wednesday in view of the prevailing inclement weather conditions.

An order issued by Director School Education Jammu, stated, in view of the prevailing inclement weather conditions and the occurrence of flood-like situations at various places across the region, it is hereby ordered that all Government as well as Private Schools in the Jammu Division shall continue to remain closed on 27th August 2025 (Wednesday).

The decision has been taken as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of students and staff. (KNC)