Punjab tourists recount horror of Ramban flash floods; praise hotel staff, police for help

Gurdev Singh and his family, and a few others were planning to travel to Kashmir on the evening of April 19 but decided to stay back at a hotel due to torrential rain at that time. That decision almost turned fatal after they found themselves caught up in the sudden flash floods and landslides that hit Ramban district.

“The hotel staff approached us around 3 am on Sunday and said floodwater had entered the hotel and that the level was rising,” said Singh from Ludhiana, Punjab.

Still shaken by the horrifying experience, Singh praised the swift action of the hotel staff and police for helping them move to safety. However, their car got buried under debris from the landslide.

Three persons, including two minor siblings, were killed and more than 100 people were rescued after heavy rainfall and cloudbursts triggered flash floods, landslides and mudslides and caused massive damage to infrastructure, including roads and residential buildings, in Ramban district.

Hundreds of vehicles were left stranded on the strategic 250-km Jammu-Srinagar National Highway — the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country — while many were buried under the debris.

Singh, who was accompanied by his parents, wife and two-year-old daughter, was among eight tourists from Punjab caught in the flash floods and landslides in the hilly district.

He said a landslide brought down a huge amount of muck from the hill to the main road, burying all vehicles. “We thought there was no chance of escape, given the situation. However, the hotel staff helped us leave the hotel safely and, later, a police rescue team shifted us to a post amid heavy rain,” Singh said. He requested the district administration to help them retrieve their car.

Also from Punjab, Sanjeev Kumar, who was also heading to Kashmir with his two friends, escaped from the hotel with the help of the staff after breaking a window.

“The scene was scary as heavy rain, cloudbursts and landslides were continuously taking place. We were thinking of taking shelter on the flyover, hoping that it would be safe,” he said. However, he said police personnel came rushing and evacuated them to the local gurdwara.

“The roof of my car was visible when I left the hotel but there was no trace of it or that of the other parked vehicles when I returned later. All were buried under the debris,” he said, requesting the district administration to inform them about the time when they would clear the debris to retrieve their vehicles so that they could plan their return journey.