Monsoon 2020 image: Bridge collapsed into a stream after heavy rain in Jammu
A portion of a bridge in Jammu collapsed into a surging river after extremely heavy rain in the region. The strong currents of a swollen rivulet that flows into the Tawi river tore down half the bridge. A massive concrete block can be seen dragged away by the raging waters in a video. One person died in heavy rain in Jammu, news agency Press Trust of India quoted officials as saying. Several kutcha houses (mud huts) were washed away on the outskirts of Jammu as the water level in the Tawi river and other streams increased.
Jammu and Kashmir has been battered by heavy rain in the last few days. Landslides, flash floods and waterlogging have thrown life out of gear. Four people who had gone to the higher slopes in Reasi district in Jammu to graze cattle, on Monday, died in a landslide.
The 270-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway remained closed for the second day on Wednesday as heavy rain triggered fresh landslides at several locations in Ramban district. Road transport has been severely hampered since Monday.
The highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, was closed to traffic early Tuesday after a massive landslide badly damaged a portion of the road leaving thousands of vehicles, mostly trucks, stranded on the either side.
Jammu and Kashmir: 4 people were killed in a landslide in Reasi district on Monday
Senior police officer Ajay Anand told news agency Press Trust of India that the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is working to make the road functional again. The restoration has been slow because of continuous landslips and boulders rolling down the mountain slopes.
"The men and machines are on the job to clear the road of the debris despite inclement weather but there is very little chance of traffic resuming today," Mr Anand said. The weather office says moderate rainfall is expected till tomorrow in most parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
(Inputs from ANI & PTI)