Nature’s fury continued to wreak havoc across the Jammu division on Tuesday, with three more people losing their lives in rain-related incidents, taking the death toll to over 23 in the last three days. While rescue operations in flood-ravaged Poonch and Rajouri were repeatedly disrupted by fresh spells of rain, the tragedy was felt most profoundly in Poonch district, where three families were virtually wiped out in separate disasters.
As reported earlier, in Surankote’s Lower Muran village, Mohammad Latief lost eight members of his family after a cloudburst triggered a devastating flash flood in the early hours of Sunday. Latief had stepped out of his house around 4 a.m. to move his vehicle to safer ground as heavy rain lashed the area. Moments later, a torrent of water, mud and boulders engulfed his three-storey house, burying his family alive.
Before the district could recover from the devastating cloudburst, another tragedy struck in the higher reaches of Loran, where seven members of two families were killed after a rain-triggered landslide flattened their mud house.
Among the victims were Zaida Begum (35), wife of Mohammad Rafiq; her four-year-old son, Adnan Rafiq; two-year-old daughter, Irzaa; Shamim Akhter, wife of Rayaz Ahmad; Tanvir (22), son of Ghulam Mohammad; Irfan (22), son of Subhan Dar; and Sabina (30), wife of Abdul Majid.
The victims were buried under the debris as the house collapsed. Rescue teams continued retrieval operations amid persistent rain. Officials said that only three bodies had been recovered by Monday evening, while efforts to retrieve the remaining bodies were still underway.
Officials said at least eight persons were still missing in flood-hit areas of Poonch and Rajouri, where swollen streams, damaged roads and fresh spells of rain continued to hamper rescue and relief operations.
Rajouri administration issues flood advisory
In view of the forecast of heavy rainfall and the possibility of a sudden rise in the water levels of rivers and nallahs, the District Administration Rajouri on Tuesday issued a precautionary advisory, urging residents of identified flood-prone areas to remain on high alert and take immediate safety measures.
According to the advisory, residents living in vulnerable localities have been strongly advised to voluntarily shift elderly persons, children, pregnant women, persons with disabilities, and essential belongings to safer locations without waiting for floodwaters to rise.
The District Administration has directed residents to remain prepared for evacuation at short notice and extend full cooperation to the Police, SDRF, Civil Defence, Revenue Department and other emergency response agencies.
Residents have also been advised not to venture near rivers, nallahs, bridges or flood channels to witness rising water levels, as doing so could endanger their lives.
Vehicle owners have been urged to shift their vehicles from low-lying parking areas and avoid unnecessary travel during the ongoing spell of adverse weather.
People have further been advised to keep essential medicines, drinking water, dry food, important documents and fully charged mobile phones ready to deal with any emergency.
The administration has appealed to the public to strictly follow traffic advisories issued by the police and district administration and immediately report any signs of flooding, landslides, breaches in embankments or stranded persons to the District Emergency Operations Centre (DEOC).
The District Emergency Operations Centre (DEOC), Rajouri, is functioning round the clock and can be contacted on Helpline No. 01962-295895 for any emergency assistance.
Comments are closed.