Surankote Worst-Hit as House Collapses, Landslides and Rising Streams Trigger Tragedy Amid Heavy Rains
Jammu, July 19 :
At least four people, including three women, lost their lives while several others remain missing after incessant rainfall triggered flash floods and landslides across Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Sunday, officials said.
According to officials, the worst devastation was witnessed in Surankote tehsil, where torrential rains caused widespread destruction, damaging houses, roads and public infrastructure. Rescue teams, along with the civil administration, police and disaster response personnel, have been deployed to evacuate stranded residents, trace missing persons and provide relief to the affected families.
In one of the tragic incidents, a 28-year-old woman, Nazia Kousar, died after her house collapsed in Noonabandi village. Her husband, Mohd Hafiz, and their three minor children, aged between two and six years, sustained injuries and were rescued before being shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment.
In another incident at Lower Murrah, a massive landslide buried a residential house, leaving its owner, Mohd Latief, along with five other family members, missing. Search and rescue operations were continuing till the filing of this report.
Officials further said that a minor girl, identified as Iram, drowned after being swept away in a stream in the Marhote area, while the body of an unidentified woman was recovered from a stream near the Dhundak Lathoong bridge.
The district administration has stepped up rescue and relief operations in the affected areas as continuous rainfall continues to pose a serious threat, with authorities urging people to avoid vulnerable locations and remain alert amid the prevailing weather conditions.(KNC)