5 Killed, Several Injured In Landslides, Flash Floods In Jammu And Kashmir

Five people have died and several have been injured in landslides and flash floods in Jammu and Kashmir. Several homes have been damaged and hundreds of residents have been affected.

Heavy rain and landslides have hit several hilly districts including Doda, Reasi, Kishtwar, and Ramban and Baramulla. Srinagar-Jammu national highway has been closed for the last three days due to landslides at multiple places along the road. 

In Kupwara, the situation has started to improve, with the water level receding and people returning to their damaged homes. As seen in the visuals from yesterday, a section of the road has washed away due to flash floods and several houses flooded in knee-deep water. A portion of a house facing the river has been washed off. Yesterday, officials issued a danger warning has been issued for Pohru Nallah in Kupwara. 

#WATCH | Roads and buildings damaged in flash floods in J&K's Kupwara due to sudden heavy rains in the area pic.twitter.com/wRjcXQoa1Y

— ANI (@ANI) April 29, 2024

The Jammu and Kashmir administration said the timely evacuation saved lives in flood-hit areas. Aziz Ahmad, Additional District Magistrate, Handwara, said, "We are assessing losses. Our priority was to save lives."

Floods have damaged some major infrastructure in the Kupwara district, including Shumriyal Bridge, Khumryal Bridge, Shatmuqam Bridge, Sohipora-Hayhama Bridge, Farkyan Bridge, two rural development department buildings at Kupwara and assistant director Handicrafts office building. Shumryal- Gundajhanger road got cut off due to scouring and a breach in the Doban Kachama dam.

"We have lost everything in floods, we need food and clothes," locals said. 

The Srinagar-Jammu highway is going on people have been advised not to travel on their road till the restoration work is completed. Hundreds of vehicles are stranded along the highway, the only road link that connects the Valley with the rest of the country. 

The administration in Kashmir announced the closure of schools and colleges today as a precautionary measure due to heavy rain in the Union Territory for the past three days. The University of Kashmir also postponed all examinations that were scheduled to be held on today