At least 11 people were killed in northern India after a cloudburst and a landslide struck the Himalayan region of Jammu on Saturday.
Four villagers died and several were reported missing after the cloudburst hit Rajgarh tehsil of Ramban district, while seven people were killed when a landslide caused by intense rainfall buried a house in the remote Badder village of Reasi district, local authorities said.
The dead included a couple and their five children, all under the age of 12.
Intense monsoon rains in the Indian Himalayas have killed at least 115 people since 14 August and forced authorities to open major dams, triggering flood alerts for three rivers in neighbouring Pakistan. Heavy rains, cloudbursts and landslides have also displaced thousands of people and damaged residential and commercial property, authorities said.
Flash floods triggered by the latest torrent of rain also swept away two houses and a school building in Ramban, The Indian Express reported.
“As of now, there’re reports that five people are unaccounted for. We are searching for them,” the news outlet quoted an official as saying. “Flash floods have also damaged property in the area.”
Authorities closed the highway connecting Jammu to Kashmir for the fifth consecutive day. The highway, the main road link to mainland India for the restive Kashmir valley, was damaged by landslides at several places in recent days.
The federal territory’s chief minister, Omar Abdullah, said he had asked officials to monitor the situation round the clock and carry out evacuations in risk-prone zones.
“He directed the officials to remain on high alert, ensure timely relief and rehabilitation, restore essential services, and take all measures to safeguard lives, while keeping constant communication with the public,” the chief minister’s office said in a statement.
Last week, at least 65 pilgrims trekking to a high-altitude Himalayan shrine were killed after a cloudburst struck Chishoti village in Kishtwar district of Jammu.
Another 30 people were killed in this same region when a landslide struck the popular Hindu pilgrimage shrine of Mata Vaishnodevi.
