3 die in flash floods, house collapse in Jammu

Jammu, July 28: Two minor girls and a woman have been killed in flash floods and house collapse triggered by heavy rains in Jammu region, even as the Jammu-Srinagar national highway remained closed in Ramban district due to landslides.

Helicopter services to Vaishnodevi shrine were also disrupted, as Jammu was lashed by 157 mm rainfall till 8.30 AM today. Menakshi (9) and Shakshi Sharma (7) were washed away in flash floods in a nallah in Janipura belt of Jammu city, Deputy Commissioner Jammu Simrandeep Singh said.

The bodies have been recovered and kept in mortuary at GMC hospital. Relief of Rs 4 lakh has been announced for families of each deceased, he said. In another incident, a woman died after a house collapsed due to heavy rains in Rajouri district, official reports said.

Heavy rains since last night have flooded various areas of Jammu and damaged public and private properties in several areas. Details of damages caused are awaited, Singh said. A flood alert in river Tawi has been sounded.

The water level of the river at Udhampur is above danger mark and it is likely to swell in Jammu as well.

All staff of flood and irrigation control department has been alerted, the Deputy Commissioner said. The Jammu-Srinagar National highway was closed for vehicular traffic due to landslides triggered by heavy rains at Gangroo, Panthal, Seri and Karool areas in Ramban district.

Canal road-Jewel chowk and Akhnoor road-Bakshinagar areas witnessed heavy traffic jam for several hours, police officials said. Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) has constituted six quick reaction teams to deal with the flood situation.

The quick reaction teams cleared many blockades in various nallahs thus safeguarding various areas from flooding, a JMC spokesperson said.

"Men and machinery were deployed early in the morning to remove blockades in nallahs of Jammu city to avoid any kind of flash-floods due to heavy rains," he said.

PTI