Heavy rainfall has caused widespread devastation in Rajouri.
By Tehelka Web Desk
The death toll from rain-triggered landslides and flash floods in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch and Rajouri districts has risen to 17, with seven people, including two children, killed in a fresh landslide in Poonch on Monday.
The latest tragedy occurred in Dhok Domail in the Nandi Chool area of Mandi tehsil, where a massive landslide struck a mud house. Rescue teams recovered the bodies of all seven victims from the debris.
The deceased were identified as Tanveer Ahmed, 27; Zahida Begum, 38; Shamim Akhter, 33; Shabnam Bano, 31; Mohd Irfan, 17; Manan Rafiq, 6; and Aleesa, 4. All were residents of Mohallah Arigum in Loran.
The fresh incident took the number of deaths in Poonch district to 14 over the past 48 hours. Rajouri has reported three deaths, bringing the combined toll in the twin border districts to 17.
Authorities said six people remain missing in Poonch and one in Rajouri as search and rescue operations continue.
Officials said confusion remains over the identity of two mutilated bodies recovered from an earlier house collapse in Surankote, where eight members of a family were buried after a landslide. DNA samples have been collected to establish their identities, and the remains have not yet been included in the official death toll.
In Rajouri, the bodies of two missing youths were recovered on Monday after flash floods swept away their rented accommodation in Malik Market. They were identified as Viqar Ahmed and Javid Ahmed. The district had earlier reported the death of a woman, Pinki Devi.
A Jal Shakti Department employee, Abdul Ghani, continues to be missing, and search operations are underway.
Meanwhile, the Rajouri administration has opened a second relief centre to accommodate families displaced by the floods. Officials said 116 families have been shifted to relief camps, with 91 families sheltering at Government Boys Higher Secondary School and 25 families housed at Government Girls High School, Jawahar Nagar.
Power supply also remained severely affected in both districts. Poonch continued to face a complete blackout after heavy rain damaged 132-kV transmission towers, while several transmission lines and electricity poles in Rajouri were washed away.
Power Development Department officials said restoration work is in progress but warned that electricity supply could take time to return because of extensive damage to the infrastructure.
