Seven of family among 11 dead in rain-triggered J&K tragedies

Eleven persons, including seven members of a family, were killed in two incidents of cloudburst and landslide triggered by heavy rain in Ramban and Reasi districts of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Saturday.

In Reasi’s Mahore area, a landslide hit a house in the wee hours of Saturday, killing all seven members of a family in their asleep. The deceased have been identified as Nazir Ahmad (38), his wife Wazira Bano (35) and their sons Bilal Ahmed (13), Mohd Mustafa (11), Mohd Adil (8), Mohd Mubarak (6) and Mohd Wasim (5).

In Ramban, four persons died while one is missing after a cloudburst struck a remote village, damaging two houses and a school. The cloudburst triggered flashfloods in mountainous Rajgarh, located about 25 km from the district headquarters, around 11.30 pm on Friday. Ramban Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Alyas Khan told The Tribune that four bodies had been recovered while a rescue operation was underway to locate the missing woman. The deceased have been identified as Ashwani Sharma (24), his brother Dwarka Nath (55), niece Virta Devi (26) and their guest Om Raj (38), a resident of Banshara in Rajgarh. The rescuers are searching for Sharma’s sister-in-law Bidya Devi (55).

The weather authorities had on Friday warned of moderate to heavy rain with the possibility of cloudbursts, flashfloods and landslides in isolated parts of the two districts.

The Jammu division of the UT has witnessed large-scale devastation due to incidents of cloudbursts, landslides and flashfloods over the past few weeks.

At least 65 persons were killed after a cloudburst triggered a flashflood at Chishoti village near Padder in Kishtwar during the annual Machail Mata Yatra recently. Thirtyfour persons en route to the Vaishno Devi temple in Katra were killed earlier this week after being struck by a landslide near Ardhkuwari.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed grief over the incidents and assured all possible assistance to the affected families. The CM has instructed the departments concerned to remain vigilant, coordinate closely with each other and take every precautionary measure to safeguard lives during the ongoing inclement weather.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha spoke to senior officials and took stock of the situation.