Woman feared drowned; 3 rescued amid downpour in Poonch, Rajouri
STATE TIMES NEWS
Jammu: In a respite from the scorching heat wave conditions, heavy rains on Wednesday lashed various areas of the Jammu region bringing down the temperature.
The Jammu-Srinagar national highway was blocked for a brief period due to landslides triggered by heavy rains in Ramban district.
There were rains in various areas of Kishtwar, Doda, Ramban, Udhampur, Rajouri and Reasi districts on Wednesday, officials said.
A hailstorm hit Cheddi area in Udhampur district, causing damage to crops, they said.
Heavy rains lashed the Jammu city around late afternoon leading to dip in temperature, they said.
The rains have brought much relief to the people battling with a scorching heat wave going on for the past one week.
Flash Floods were triggered in some areas of hilly belts of Rajouri and Ramban due to heavy rains, the officials said.
A woman was feared drowned while three people trapped in flash floods were rescued in the nick of time as heavy rains led to sudden rise in water bodies in the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri, officials said.
Two women — Naseema Akhtar and Kulzum Bi — were swept away while crossing Betar stream in Poonch district late afternoon on Wednesday, the officials said.
They said while Akhtar was rescued by a joint team of police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Kulzum Bi (28) remained untraced. A rescue operation is on to trace her, the official said, adding they were trapped by the sudden rise in the water level.
In Rajouri district, two men – Ankush Kumar of Rajouri and Sunil Kumar of Punjab were rescued by a joint team of police and SDRF in an hour-long operation after they were found trapped in flash floods in Darhali river near Tariq bridge. The civil and police officers in the twin districts issued separate advisories, asking people not to move close to water bodies, especially rivers, in view of apprehensions of flash flood amid rainfall.