Several houses were buried under rubble and floodwaters in the Ghati area, officials said. Damage was also reported on the Jammu–Pathankot National Highway. Rescue teams are at the spot.
At least seven people were killed and five injured after two separate incidents of cloudburst and landslide in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district, days after a similar incident in Kishtwar left over 60 dead earlier this week.
Several houses were buried under rubble and floodwaters in the Jodh Ghati area, officials said. Damage was also reported on the Jammu–Pathankot National Highway. Rescue teams are at the spot.
While five persons lost their lives in Jodh Ghati which was hit by the cloudburst, snapping access to the village and causing damage to some houses, two persons lost their lives in landslide triggered by rains at Janglote area, the officials said.
In another visual accessed by India Today TV, a police station in Kathua has been completely submerged. A railway track has also been damaged, officials added.
The incident happened during the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, snapping access to the village and causing some damage to land and property.
A joint team of police and SDRF have been rushed to the village and further details are awaited, officials told news agency PTI.
They said landslides also hit Bagard and Changda villages under the jurisdiction of Kathua police station and Dilwan-Hutli in Lakhanpur police station area but there was no major report of damage.
The heavy rains have led to a sharp increase in the level in most of the water bodies with the Ujh river flowing near the danger mark, the officials said.
The district administration is closely watching the situation and have requested people to stay away from water bodies for their safety, the officials said.
Shortly after the incident, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah assured all necessary assistance for those affected.
“Chief Minister has expressed grief over the tragic loss of lives and damage caused by landslides in several parts of District Kathua, including Jodh Khad and Juthana, which claimed 4 lives and left many injured. He conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured, and assured all necessary assistance,” an official statement from CMO read.
