One tragedy after another: 11 dead in J&K

Srinagar: At least 11 people, including seven members of a family, were killed in two separate incidents of cloudbursts and landslides triggered by heavy rain in Reasi and Ramban districts of Jammu & Kashmir early Saturday.

Over the past three weeks, the Union Territory has seen a series of extreme weather events-cloudbursts, landslides, floods and incessant rainfall-that have claimed more than 130 lives, left around 150 injured and 35 missing.

Union home minister Amit Shah is likely to visit Jammu on September 1. He will conduct an aerial survey of the affected areas before chairing a review meeting on relief measures at Raj Bhavan.


Saturday's deadliest incident was reported from Badder village in Reasi district, where a couple and their five sons, aged between 5 and 13, were buried when a rain-triggered landslide flattened their home. In Ramban district, a cloudburst in Drubla-Gudgram village of Rajgarh area killed four people, including two brothers, damaged two houses and a school, and left one person missing.

J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah expressed sorrow over the tragedies and directed district officials and disaster response teams to stay on the ground, ensure evacuations from risk-prone areas, and provide immediate relief. Lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha also expressed anguish on X and assured all possible assistance.

Earlier this month, 65 people died in a landslide in Kishtwar's Chisoti village, with 32 still missing.