3 die as rain wreaks havoc in Jammu, 11 houses damaged

Three members of a family were killed in Reasi area, at least 11 houses suffered damage in land subsidence at Kheri village of Jammu North while landslides disrupted traffic on several roads as rain wreaked havoc in many areas of Jammu region during early hours today.

Reports said that during heavy rain, a Sumo vehicle slipped into a deep gorge in Thakrakote area of Reasi. All the three persons including a couple, on board the vehicle, were killed on the spot.

The accident took place near Panasa village in Tehsil Thakrakote of District Reasi. The deceased were identified as Prem Singh (50 years), son of Omkar Singh; his wife Santoshi Devi (45), residents of Thub village in Thakrakote, and Durgi Devi (70), wife of Sarvan, a resident of Jij, in tehsil Thakrakote, and the mother-in-law of deceased- Prem Singh.

The dead bodies were shifted to PHC Panassa by police in the morning. Sources said that it was raining in the area and the road was slippery. The bad weather is said to be the reason behind the road accident.

Another report said that at least 11 houses have been damaged due to sinking of land in Kheri area, near Bantalab in Jammu North. A big chunk of agriculture land of the people has also been damaged in the area.

A Revenue team along with police also visited the affected village and submitted a report to the district administration. The locals alleged that since last year, the land has been getting affected due to construction of highway (Ring Road) and they should be compensated for the damage.

Tehsildar Jammu North, Aman Kumar Anand when contacted said that 3-4 houses were damaged at Kheri village during last year due to land subsidence. He said the area has now widened and at least 11 structures/ houses have suffered cracks.

A team of Revenue officials led by Naib Tehsildar visited the affected village today and submitted a report for the District Administration. The people are being shifted to the safer location. Last year, four families were provided relief under SDRF norms. The affected people will get relief/ compensation as per norms, Anand added.

Meanwhile, due to heavy rain and landslides during early hours today Panjtirthi-Sidhra road was blocked. However, the road was restored shortly in the morning. The old road between Palace and Nagrota bypass was also partially blocked at 2-3 places and was cleared during morning by the JCBs. An old house partially collapsed in Upper Panjtirthi area of Jammu due to heavy rain, however no loss of life was reported.

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The rain also hit movement of traffic on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway between Udhampur and Chenani at two places. The traffic was diverted to the second tube with the blockade of one tube at two places.

In Kote Punnu area along Old Samba Kathua highway, an approach road of a newly constricted bridge by BRO was partially damaged due to flood in a Nallah. Several link roads suffered damage due to landslides and floods in the seasonal Nallahs in other parts of Kathua district. The power supply was also hit with the heavy rain and damaged caused to power infrastructure.

Another report said that helicopter and battery car services remained affected at Katra Mata Vaishnodevi due to rain and bad weather today. However, the on-foot yatra was allowed through old track.

Reports from Srinagar said that heavy rains lashed the picturesque tourist destination of Pahalgam, Anantang triggering landslides and falling debris at several places.

The Pahalgam-Khanabal road was blocked at one point due to a landslide. The Anantnag Police and administration moved to the spot, and carried out restoration work. Traffic movement remained temporarily halted as a precautionary measure.

Meanwhile, J&K is likely to remain generally hot and humid till the end of this month with brief spells of rain and thundershowers forecast at scattered places, mainly during the early morning and afternoon hours, the Meteorological Centre Srinagar said today.

For August 23 to 27, the weather department has forecast generally hot and humid conditions, with brief spells of rain or thundershowers at scattered places.

It said the spells were likely mainly during the early morning and afternoon hours, while warning that brief, intense heavy showers at localised areas could trigger flashfloods, mudslides and landslides.

For August 19 to 22, one or two spells of light to moderate rain or thundershowers are likely scattered to many places.

“Brief, intense heavy showers may occur in a few districts, particularly during the early morning and forenoon hours,” the weatherman said.

The advisory comes amid fresh weather-related disruptions in parts of Kashmir.

Heavy rain, strong winds and water-logging disrupted traffic movement along the Yanner-Batkote-Pahalgam road today, causing inconvenience to travellers. A cloudburst also hit the Haknar area of Gund. No loss of life or damage to property was reported so far.

Police, along with personnel of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), assessed the situation and took stock of ground conditions. The area was being closely monitored, officials said.

The forecast comes after significant rainfall in parts of the Jammu region over the past 24 hours.

Jammu recorded 88.7 mm of rain, followed by Samba with 85 mm, Kathua with 76.6 mm, Katra with 48.2 mm and Udhampur with 32.2 mm.