Minor among eight killed in house collapse as rains wreak havoc in J&K

Eight people including a toddler and two women died in separate incidents of landslides and flash floods triggered by fresh spell of rainfall which wreaked havoc in Jammu and Kashmir on WednesdayA local news gathering agency reported that around 6 am two houses collapsed in Surjan area of Kathuarsquos Bani due to heavy rains ldquoFive persons including children and a woman got buried under these housesrdquo said a police officer Five bodies have been recoveredThe deceased have been identified as threeyearold Arbaz son of Mushtaq Ahmed Sahabaz 14 son of Mushtaq and his 45 year old wife Zareen Begum Nazir Bano 11 daughter and Mohammad Asif 14 son of Abdul QayumIn other three separate incidents a woman identified as Naseema Begum 50 wife of Mohammad Rafiq of Mandhota Tehsil Bani died after coming under a landslide in the Bani area of the district A class 7 student identified as Ajay Singh 13 son of Mohinder Singh of Sitti Tehsil was buried under a landslide in Bani while one person namely Sham Lal 45 son of Tara Chand of Bhukllari also got buried under a landslide and later his body was also retrieved SubDivisional Magistrate SDM Bani Satish Kumar said that there are reports of flash floods and landslides in other areas and rescue teams have been deputed He has announced a compensation of Rs 50000 for the deceased and Rs 25000 for the injuredAlso readHeavy rains disrupt train traffic beyond Kalyan in Mumbai CM denies waterlogging in cityMeanwhile rains lashed various parts of Jammu damaging roads with all major rivers including Tawi Chenab Basanter Devak and Ujh flowing above the danger mark Authorities advised people to stay away from low river banks and also ordered the closure of all schools in Kathua Doda Rajouri and Kishtwar districts because of heavy rain causing swelling of water bodiesVaishno Devi Yatra from the new track and the passage of pilgrims on the Amarnath Yatra were also temporarily suspendedOfficials said that the new track to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine has been closed due to inclement weather conditions while chopper service has also been suspended in Reasi district while schools in Kishtwar Doda Rajouri and upper reaches of Kathua have also been closed given the inclement weatherThey said that a fresh batch of 4900 pilgrims which left for Amarnath shrine in Kashmir has been halted at Yatri Niwas Chanderkote in Ramban due to shooting stones and landslidesMeanwhile JammuPathankot road in Kathua was also closed in view of the floodlike situation and a bridge on the Tarnah Nallah Chadwal has suffered damage due to heavy rain The traffic was being diverted through the border road Jammu Poonch road also blocked at Tanda Akhnoor and closed for traffic movement As a precautionary measure KishtwarSinthan Road remained closed for traffic In Udhampur the rain water entered peoples housesMinister of State PMO Dr Jitendra Singh who is also a Member of Parliament from UdhampurKathua constituency expressed concern over the damage caused due to rain Concerned to learn about the damage caused to Chadwal bridge in Kathua due to flash floods causing inconvenience to traffic I immediately got in touch with DC Kathua Rakesh Minhas as well as the NHAI authorities My office is constantly following up on the matter for expeditious repair and redressal the minister informed through his Twitter pageMoreover in the backdrop of heavy rainfall and rising water levels in rivers and streams Divisional Commissioner Jammu Ramesh Kumar chaired a meeting to review flood management measures and preparedness across the districts of the division With inputs from agencies