Seven of a Family Killed in Reasi, Four More Dead in Ramban as Torrential Rains Lash J&K

At least 11 Dead, Dozens Missing as Landslides and Cloudbursts Ravage Jammu & Kashmir.

At least 11 people have died and several others remain missing after fresh landslides and cloudbursts, triggered by incessant rainfall, battered large parts of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Saturday.

In Reasi district, seven members of a family — including five children aged between 4 and 12 — were killed when their house collapsed in a landslide on Friday night. Rescue workers retrieved all seven bodies from the debris of the kaccha house on Saturday morning.

In Ramban district, four people were killed and four others reported missing after a cloudburst in Rajgarh triggered flash floods that swept away houses and damaged several structures. Search and rescue operations are under way.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh said he had spoken to Ramban’s Deputy Commissioner and assured every possible assistance to those affected. The Union Territory has been reeling under a week of relentless rainfall, which has caused rivers to overflow and triggered multiple landslides across hilly districts.

The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, the 270-km all-weather lifeline linking the Valley to the rest of the country, has remained closed for five consecutive days. More than 2,000 vehicles are stranded after landslides blocked stretches between Jakheni and Chenani in Udhampur district. Nine other inter-district roads are also closed due to landslides and erosion, leaving dozens of villages in Jammu, Samba, Kathua and Udhampur cut off.

Earlier this week, tragedy struck near the Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra, where a massive landslide killed 31 people and left several missing. The yatra has since been suspended.

The Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert for thunderstorms and lightning in Poonch, Reasi, Rajouri, Kishtwar and Udhampur for Friday, escalating it to an orange alert for Poonch, Kishtwar, Jammu, Ramban and Udhampur over the weekend, warning of heavier rainfall.