J&K: Seven dead, 17 injured as Cloudburst hits Gulabgarh area of Kishtwar district; Centre closely monitoring

Jammu, Jul 28: A cloudburst hit a remote village in Jammu and Kashmir''s Kishtwar district early Wednesday, leaving seven people dead and 17 others injured, officials said.

Six houses and a ration depot situated on the banks of a stream besides a bridge were damaged in the cloudburst which triggered flash floods in the area around 4:30 am.

'A search and rescue operation by police, Army and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) is underway to locate over 14 people who are still missing from the scene of the cloudburst at village Honzar in Dacchan tehsil, the officials said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Centre is closely monitoring the situation in Kishtwar.

All possible assistance is being provided to the affected areas, he said, wishing for everyone's safety and well-being.

"30 to 40 persons are missing. Rescue operations going on with help of SDRF & Army," tweets Union Minister Jitendra Singh.

Director General of Police-cum-Commandant General Home Guard, Civil Defence and SDRF, V K Singh, said two women are among the five persons killed in the cloudburst, while over 25 others are still missing.

"One of our SDRF teams from Kishtwar reached the affected village and two more teams are on their way from Doda and Udhampur districts. Two more SDRF teams are waiting for weather to improve to get airlifted from Jammu and Srinagar to the scene and join the rescue mission," Singh said.

He said six houses and a ration store were damaged by the cloudburst.

The district development commissioner, Kishtwar, said two more cloudbursts struck remote Lambard area overnight but there was no report of any loss of life.

"There is some damage to infrastructure but exact details are awaited," Sharma said.

He said 60 families were evacuated to safety from the Paddar area in view of incessant rains which posed a threat to their homes.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said,''I have spoken to the LG & DGP of Jammu & Kashmir regarding cloudburst in Kishtwar. SDRF, Army & local administration are carrying out the rescue operation. NDRF is also reaching there. Our priority is to save as many lives as possible.''

''Spoke to senior authorities and Kishtwar district administration (where at least 4 people have died following cloudburst). Army and SDRF team working on war footing to rescue people and trace the missing persons. I am continuously monitoring the situation,'' LG Manoj Sinha said.

Most parts of the Jammu region have been receiving heavy rains for the past few days. With the prediction of more rains till July-end, authorities in Kishtwar have asked people living along water bodies and slide-prone areas to remain vigilant.

"The meteorological department has predicted heavy rains during the upcoming days and water levels in rivers and nallas are expected to rise, which can pose a threat to the inhabitants residing near rivers, nallas, water bodies and slide-prone areas," the district administration said in an advisory issued late on Tuesday night.