At least 21 people died on Sunday after incessant rain lashed out at various parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland, and Uttarakhand, amid active monsoon conditions in North India.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has also noted active upper air cyclonic activity in various parts of North India.
It has also indicated that northern, eastern, and northeastern India will continue getting heavy rain over the next week, while monsoon activity is expected to reduce a little over west-central and southern Peninsular India over the same period.
Jammu and Kashmir
In various parts of Jammu and Kashmir, especially border districts like Rajouri and Poonch, at least 11 people were killed in cloudbursts, landslides, and flash floods, while several others have gone missing, sparking a multi-agency rescue operation.
In that regard, Jammu and Kashmir has been the worst-hit among the other two regions that received incessant rain, with BJP leader Altaf Thakur claiming that at least 18 deaths and widespread infrastructural damage had occurred, calling it a "national tragedy".
This has led to the Pahalgam and Baltal routes of the Amarnath Yatra being temporarily suspended as the IMD has predicted more rainfall ahead.
J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has directed officials to ensure immediate relief and assistance to the affected families, while CM Omar Abdullah cut short his time in Delhi for the proposed statehood protest and returned to Jammu on Sunday.
Nagaland
At least eight people died and 12 others have been injured in Nagaland's Mon district alone, as flash floods and a cloudburst washed away houses, blocked roads, and trapped several people underneath debris, officials said, as per updates from PTI and ANI.
As per Mon's deputy commissioner Wennyei Konyak, teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police, Assam Rifles, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and local residents are involved in search and rescue operations.
This is expected to spike the death toll further, as several remain trapped under debris in various inundated areas, and major routes have been hit by landslides.
The IMD has also predicted sustained heavy rainfall in the state over the next 24 hours.
Uttarakhand
At least two people died on Sunday after being struck by lightning in the Haridwar district as continuous rainfall and thunderstorms lashed out at most parts of the state.
Red and orange alerts have been issued for 10 districts, while the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) added in the report that landslides triggered by incessant rains have blocked 84 roads—including two national highways—in various parts of the state.
The IMD has also forecast heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in several parts of the state over the coming week, after rain-led landslides disrupted Uttarakhand's Kedarnath and Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimages.
In addition to horse-mule services on the Kedarnath route being suspended, helicopter operations in the region have been affected.
