32 Killed In Landslide On Vaishno Devi Route As Rain Batters North India

At least 32 people were killed and 20 were injured after heavy rains triggered a massive landslide near the Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra in Jammu & Kashmir's Reasi district on Tuesday, sources said on Wednesday.

The pilgrimage to the shrine was suspended when the mountainside literally gave way and stones, boulders and rocks came hurtling down around 3pm on Tuesday. The landslide struck at a point about halfway along the winding 12-km trek from Katra to the shrine.

"The loss of lives due to a landslide on the route to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Temple is saddening. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover at the earliest. The administration is assisting all those affected. My prayers for everyone's safety and well-being," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X. 

There are two routes up to the shrine - while the yatra was initially suspended on the Himkoti trek route on Tuesday morning, it was going on on the old route till 1.30pm when authorities decided to suspend it till further orders.

Incessant heavy rain in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of north India, including Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, have triggered flash floods in several areas, prompting officials to evacuate thousands of people from low-lying areas. 

According to PTI, a flash flood washed away 10 residential houses and a bridge in remote Margi area of Kishtwar district in Jammu and Kashmir, but there was no immediate report of any casualty. More than 12 paramilitary personnel are also feared trapped in the flooded Lakhanpur village in Kathua district, and efforts are on to shift them to safety, officials said.

Over 3,500 residents in Jammu have been evacuated to safety so far.
Heavy rains were also recorded in Kashmir valley overnight where the main Jhelum river has crossed the flood-alert mark of 21 feet at Sangam in Anantnag district, and was just two feet below the flood-alert mark of 18 feet downstream at Ram Munshi Bagh in Srinagar on Wednesday morning. 

India has issued fresh alerts to Pakistan about the "high probability" of flooding in the Tawi river, as the incessant rainfall forced the release of excess water from major dams, the sources said. The alerts, routed to Islamabad through the Ministry of External Affairs, were issued on "humanitarian grounds", the sources said. 

The Tawi river originates in the Himalayas and passes through the Jammu division before joining the Chenab in Pakistan. The first alert was issued on Monday.

Officials said severe damage has been reported to public infrastructure, including several key bridges, houses and commercial establishments, due to overflowing of water bodies and flash floods across the Union Territory.

In Punjab, torrential rains in some parts have triggered flash floods in various areas, with the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers and seasonal rivulets in spate. Massive relief and rescue operations are underway in several districts, with teams of various central and state agencies and the Army evacuating residents to safer places.

The worst-affected villages are in Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Fazilka, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur and Hoshiarpur districts.

With the weather department predicting more rains in coming days, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann directed closure of all schools in the state from August 27 to 30. All leaves for officers and staff have been cancelled.

Landslides and flash floods caused by continuous rainfall have also left a trail of destruction in Himachal Pradesh. The state reported 12 flash floods, two major landslides and one cloudburst since Monday evening. Nine flash floods occurred in the Lahaul and Spiti district, two in Kullu and one in Kangra, while a cloudburst was reported in the Chamba district.

No casualties were reported in any of the incidents but one person drowned in Kangra district, while another died after falling from a height in Kinnaur.