Torrential rain wreaks havoc in Jammu, 9 Vaishno Devi pilgrims among 13 dead

Thirteen persons were killed and 20 injured in separate incidents of landslides and flashfloods triggered by torrential rain across the Jammu region on Tuesday, officials said.

Nine pilgrims en route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Reasi district were killed when a massive landslide struck near Inderprastha Bhojnalaya at Ardhkuwari. Fourteen others were injured as mud and boulders came crashing down the hillside around 3 pm, burying pilgrims under the debris. Several people were feared trapped, said the officials.

The landslide occurred at a point about halfway along the winding 12-km trek from Katra to the hilltop shrine. The yatra was suspended after the incident. Three relief columns of the Army’s White Knight Corps were mobilised for the rescue and relief operation in and around the shrine.

Meanwhile, four persons were killed in flashfloods and house collapse incidents in Doda district’s Gandoh, Thathri and Bhaderwah.

The heavy rain also caused much damage to the residential and other structures in the entire Jammu region even as the Meteorological Centre at Srinagar warned of more rains.

The traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar and Kishtwar-Doda national highways was suspended and dozens of hill roads were blocked or damaged by landslides or flashfloods, the officials said. Several trains to and from Jammu were cancelled.

Reports of damage to infrastructure were received from the high-altitude areas of Kishtwar, Reasi, Rajouri, Ramban and Poonch districts. The real picture of the disaster would emerge only after an assessment of the ground situation, the officials said.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah termed the situation serious. He presided over an emergency meeting and ordered the district officials to be on high alert. “Instructions have been issued to place additional funds at the disposal of the Deputy Commissioners to cover emergency restoration work and other exigencies,” Omar wrote in a post on X.

Nearly all water bodies in the region have been flowing above the danger mark, inundating low-lying areas and prominent roads. Major rivers such as the Taranah, Ujh, Tawi and the Chenab have crossed their danger mark, forcing the police and civil authorities to make repeated public appeals to the people to shift to safer areas.

The J&K Disaster Management Authority said there was a risk of flashfloods in Doda, Jammu, Kathua, Kishtwar, Samba and Udhampur district until Wednesday. The J&K Board of School Education has postponed all Class X and XI exams scheduled for Wednesday.