At least 18 people, including several children, were killed and a large number of vehicles were swept away after overnight heavy rain led to flash floods and landslides in the early hours of Sunday in Jammu and Kashmir’s border districts of Poonch and Rajouri. The flash floods and landslides caused significant damage to residential and commercial buildings in the affected areas. Sixteen people died in Poonch district alone, with 15 of the deaths taking place in the Surankote area.
One woman, 28-year-old Nazia Kousar, died in the Noon Bandi area near Poonch town when her house collapsed. In Rajouri town, large-scale property damage was reported, including the destruction of around 50 private vehicles parked at the Bela Colony bus stand area. The bus stand, which was made operational in November 2024, was built on a mound in a river that had been dry for a few decades.
However, the river was flooded on Sunday by water brought into it from the nullahs coming from the Darhal and Thanamandi sides. The flood waters also entered nearby slums, and a woman named Pinki Devi was reported to have been swept away. A local government official said the death toll was not high in the area because there was no one present at the bus stand area when the flooding occurred.
J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who had gone to New Delhi to sit on dharna at Jantar Mantar on Monday demanding the restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, said he would return to Jammu in view of the disaster. Expressing grief over the loss of lives in Poonch and Rajouri, he said the SDRF, police, and all other agencies concerned were engaged in relief and rescue operations. Lt Governor Manoj Sinha said affected families have already been moved to safety, all departments are on high alert, and that they are prioritizing immediate relief and repair work.
He urged residents to stay calm and follow official updates. In view of the inclement weather conditions, the pilgrimage to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi and Shiv Khori shrines in Reasi district was temporarily suspended. Authorities in the Jammu division have sounded the alert, following a sharp rise in the water level of the Chenab River and several other streams.
According to IMD officials, Reasi received 106.5 mm of rain during the last 24 hours, followed by Rajouri (103 mm), Udhampur (101.6 mm), Katra (85 mm), Poonch (77 mm), Batote (57.2 mm) and Ramban (9 mm) in the Jammu region. Officials said that all the gates of the Salal Hydroelectric Project in Reasi remained open for the second consecutive day as part of the reservoir flushing process, leading to a significant increase in the discharge and flow of the Chenab River. In neighbouring Ramban district, police issued a public advisory after the opening of the gates of the Baglihar Hydroelectric Project also caused the river’s water level to rise.
Police teams have also been deployed in villages along the Chenab River in Reasi, using public address systems to warn residents against venturing near the river and advising them to keep children and livestock away from its banks. The district administration has cautioned that the water level in the Chenab may rise suddenly due to continued discharge from the dams and appealed to people to avoid unnecessary travel and stay away from rivers, streams and other water bodies.
