Landslide at Vaishno Devi shrine kills 30, floods hit Jammu and Kashmir; rescue operations underway

A landslide at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Reasi district killed 30 pilgrims and injured 14, while floods in Jammu and Kashmir submerge low-lying areas. Authorities suspend Yatra, block roads, and launch urgent rescue and relief operations.

Jammu: At least 30 people were killed and 14 others were injured after a landslide hit the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine route in J&K’s Reasi district, even as the water level in all the rivers of Jammu division and the Jhelum River in Kashmir flowed above the flood level on Wednesday.

A major tragedy struck on the pilgrimage route to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Reasi district on Tuesday when a landslide killed 30 pilgrims and injured 14 others, officials said.

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Rescue teams rushed to evacuate stranded pilgrims near Adhkwari, while the Yatra has been suspended until further orders.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha have expressed shock and grief over the tragedy and have ordered all possible relief and rescue to help the affected pilgrims while expressing condolences to the bereaved families.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on X, “Still struggling with almost nonexistent communication. There is a trickle of data flowing on Jio mobile, but no fixed-line WiFi, no browsing, almost no apps, things like X open frustratingly slowly, and WhatsApp struggles with anything more than short text messages. Haven’t felt this disconnected since the terrible days of 2014 & 2019.”

Twin cloudbursts triggered flash floods in the Margi area of Warwan Valley in Kishtwar district, washing away at least 10 houses, over 300 kanals of crops, livestock, and a bridge.

Reports said water has entered around 60 houses, forcing affected families to take shelter under tarpaulin tents on nearby hillocks.

With phone connectivity almost non-existent in the twin valleys of Warwan and Marwah, locals managed to convey distress messages seeking immediate rescue and relief assistance.

The remote Warwan valley, home to nearly 40,000 people across 50 villages, remained cut off from the district headquarters in Kishtwar. Residents are urging authorities to expedite relief and rescue operations.

River Tawi at Udhampur was flowing at 36.1 ft at 6 a.m., nearly 13 feet above the Evacuation Level and four feet above the previously highest ever recorded level during the 2014 floods.

At 5.30 a.m., the Chenab River at Akhnoor was flowing at 43 feet, one foot above the Evacuation Level.

Authorities have declared a flood in the Jhelum River in the Valley as the river was flowing above the danger mark at Ram Munshibagh in Srinagar this morning.

Water has entered all low-lying areas of Jammu city, including the parking space of the Jammu railway station.

Srinagar-Jammu national highway, Srinagar-Leh, Jammu-Pathankot, Sinthan Pass leading to Kishtwar from the Valley, and Razdan Pass leading to Gurez have also been blocked by adverse weather, triggering landslides and fresh snowfall.

In Jammu district, all schools, colleges, universities, training/coaching institutes and government offices except those connected with flood relief will remain closed today, the DM Jammu said in an order issued.

In the Valley, all schools, colleges, and universities in Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama, Shopian, Budgam, and Srinagar remain closed for the day due to adverse weather conditions, said the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir.

Fiber services and landline services on state-owned BSNL were also down. The outage caused problems among people as mobiles showed no signals, they said. Telecom operators said it was a network issue due to “multiple fibre cuts” at various places, including Jammu, Srinagar and Shimla.

“We will try to restore the network and services as fast as possible,” they added.