NEW DELHI: Flash floods and landslides triggered by torrential rain caused widespread devastation across Jammu and Kashmir’s border districts of Poonch and Rajouri on Sunday, with rescue teams racing to reach stranded residents as the weather emergency deepened. Officials said the death toll from the rain-related disasters has risen to 11, while several people remain missing.The worst damage was reported from Surankote tehsil in Poonch district, where multiple cloudbursts, landslides and flash floods swept through villages, damaging homes and cutting off roads.Dramatic visuals from the affected areas showed vehicles being swept away by raging floodwaters, piles of mangled cars, homes collapsing under the force of the floods, and residents stranded as overflowing rivers inundated entire neighbourhoods.Multi-agency rescue teams, including the army, police, national disaster response force and state disaster response force, have been deployed to trace the missing and evacuate affected families.Union home minister Amit Shah reviewed the situation with Lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha and chief minister Omar Abdullah, assuring all possible assistance from the Centre.“Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah spoke with the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Shri Manoj Sinha, and Chief Minister Shri Omar Abdullah regarding the situation caused by heavy rainfall and assured them of all possible assistance from the Central Government,” Shah’s office said in a post on X.Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the administration’s immediate priority was to save lives.“Since first light this morning, I’ve been closely monitoring the situation arising from the extremely heavy rain… the first priority of the administration is to safeguard precious lives,” Abdullah said on X.“The government will do everything possible to aid & assist affected people who have suffered property loss/damage due to the rains & flash floods,” he added.In Rajouri, rescue teams pulled two stranded people to safety from the Muradpur area after flash floods caused water levels to rise rapidly.Deputy commissioner Abhishek Sharma told news agency PTI, “Two persons were safely rescued from the river at Muradpur, Rajouri, after they became stranded due to the flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall.”Authorities have urged residents to stay away from rivers and other flood-prone areas as water levels remain dangerously high.Continuous rain since Saturday has triggered multiple cloudbursts and flash floods, washing away several structures along the Poonch River and damaging key infrastructure, with rescue and relief operations continuing across the worst-hit districts.
