Three people died while two others are missing after a cloudburst struck a remote village in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district, on Saturday. The cloudburst triggered flash floods in the mountainous Rajgarh, 25km from the district headquarters, this morning.
Rescue operation is underway. Three bodies have been found, including two women, who were washed away by the floods.
More details are awaited. The Deputy Commissioner, Ramban, in a post on X, had warned of landslides and flash floods in parts of Ramban district, along with six others. The emergency control room numbers, too, have been shared.
Videos on social media showed a trail of destruction caused by the flash flood on the hill and all the way to the river and bridge below.
The incident comes close on the heels of the tragic landslide near the Inderprastha Bhojnalaya at Adhkuwari, about halfway along the winding 12-km trek route from Katra to the Vaishno Devi shrine, on August 26, killing 34 pilgrims and injuring 20 others.
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The tragedy sparked protests against the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, with people alleging “over-commercialising of the pilgrimage site”. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, too, had joined the chorus of protests, questioning why the Shrine Board allowed pilgrims despite warning of heavy rains.
Of the two routes to the shrine, the yatra was suspended on the Himkoti trek route but was allowed till afternoon on the day of the tragedy. "When we knew about the weather, should we not have taken certain steps to save lives? The weather warning had come to us a few days ago." Abdullah had said. "Why were these people on the track? Why were they not stopped? Why were they not moved to a safe place? This has to be discussed later. We feel sorrow over the loss of precious lives."
The Shrine Board, which is under the administrative control of the LG, however refuted the allegations, saying the pilgrimage was suspended at noon on August 26 ahead of the cloudburst that triggered the landslide.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has set up a high-level three-member committee to probe the reasons behind the landslide. The committee comprises Jammu Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar and Inspector General of Police B.S. Tuti and is headed by the additional chief secretary, Department of Jal Shakti. It will submit its report within two weeks to Sinha, who is also the chairman of the Shrine Board.