Army presses choppers into rescue ops; train, traffic disrupted
STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Seven members of four families, including five children, were killed in two separate incidents of cloudburst and landslide in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir early Sunday, officials said.
The calamity struck Jodh Ghati village of Rajbagh and Bagra village of Janglote amid heavy overnight rains in the district, leading to increase in the level of water bodies and submerging many low-lying areas, they said.
Officials said while five persons, including a man and his two minor sons, lost their lives in Jodh Ghati which was hit by the cloudburst, snapping access to the village and causing damage to several mud houses, a mother-daughter duo lost their lives in landslide triggered by rains at Bagra village of Janglote.
The Army has evacuated six injured persons to hospital from Jodh Ghati.
“Indian Army columns on the ground in Kathua – rescuing families, giving hope, food & care after the cloudburst,” Rising Star corps said in a post of X.
It was also shared pictures of soldiers evacuating the affected people to safety
The officials identified the deceased as Surmu Din (32), his sons Fanu (6) and Shedu (5), Zulfoon (15) and Tahu (2), all residents of Jodh Ghati, and Renu Devi (39) and her daughter Radhika (9) of Janglote.
The injured were identified as Surmu Din’s wife Gogli Begum (26), daughter Nageena (3 months) and Habib Din’s wife Karoon Begum (26) and daughters Rafia Begum (4), Aisha Begum (6) and Parveen Akhter (8), the officials said.
A video on social media showed a couple of collapsed mud-houses belonging to the victims with survivors trying to pull out a half-buried girl from the rubble and frantically searching for missing persons.
The landslide triggered by rains also hit Changda villages under the jurisdiction of Kathua police station and Dilwan-Hutli in Lakhanpur police station area but there was no major report of damage.
The heavy rains have led to a sharp increase in the level in most of the water bodies with the Ujh river flowing near the danger mark, the officials said, adding several low lying areas were submerged with flood water entering homes and shops.
The district administration is closely watching the situation and has requested people to stay away from water bodies for their safety.
Police in Kathua also asked the people especially living in hilly areas to stay at home and not to move close to the water bodies as there is every apprehension of flash flood owing to heavy rains.
“For any emergency please contact to nearest Police Station or call on helpline numbers: 9858034100 or 112,” the police said.
Train traffic has been disrupted along the Jammu-Pathankot rail line following the cloudburst, prompting authorities to cancel local trains and short-terminate others.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on the cloudburst in Kathua and assured all support from the
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Union Minister Jitendra Singh have expressed grief over the loss of lives in the incidents.
Meanwhile, the weather office has forecast light to moderate rain and thunder showers at many places with intense showers or heavy rains at few places in Jammu division, especially Jammu, Reasi, Udhampur, Rajouri, Poonch, Samba and Kathua district with moderate intense showers over Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban till August 19.
The Army deployed helicopters and several columns in the cloudburst-hit Jodh Ghati village of Kathua district, officials said.
The calamity struck the village and Janglote amid heavy overnight rains, leaving seven persons dead.
Several army columns were inducted into the operation in the affected areas to rescue stranded people and evacuate the injured to hospitals, the officials said.
An Army helicopter deployed for rescue operations in Ghatti airlifted 15 people to hospital, they added.
The Dhruv helicopters airlifted injured to a hospital in Pathankot in Punjab.
Troops from Rising Star Corps are working on the ground with police, SDRF and locals to rescue families, providing food and medical care, the officials said.
Meanwhile, Train traffic has been disrupted along the Jammu-Pathankot rail line following a cloudburst in Kathua district.
“Due to heavy rains, water is flowing above the danger level through bridge number 43 between Kathua-Budhi. In view of this, temporarily till the water level subsides, up-line movement has been suspended, and in the meantime, up trains are being moved via a temporary single line through the down line track,” Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Jammu Railway Division, Uchit Singhal said here.
He said a few trains have been short-terminated and short-originated, including the cancellation of local passenger trains.
