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Monsoon Flash Floods Kill 11 in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri and Poonch

Authorities have mobilised Army, SDRF and civil teams to evacuate trapped households because the IMD warns more heavy rain that could swell rivers and trigger further landslides.

Overview

  • Heavy monsoon rains on Sunday produced sudden flash floods and landslides that inundated Rajouri town and Surankote tehsil in Poonch, cutting off villages and sweeping away vehicles and homes.
  • Officials reported at least 11 dead and several people missing as rescue teams search debris and submerged areas, with casualty totals still provisional as operations continue.
  • Multi-agency relief work has been stepped up, with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah cutting short his Delhi visit to return to Jammu and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha directing immediate assistance.
  • Flood protection walls and rivers breached in low-lying areas, dozens of vehicles were swept from the new Rajouri bus stand, and release of water from projects such as the Salal/Baglihar system has raised downstream river levels.
  • Arunachal Pradesh is also facing widespread monsoon damage from earlier rain-triggered landslides and floods that have left hundreds of homes and scores of roads, bridges and power lines damaged, and the IMD warns heavy to very heavy rain will continue across the affected regions over the next days.