2 killed, 6 hurt as boulder falls on bus in Doda
Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, July 20: Two persons were killed and six others injured when a big boulder fell on a bus in Doda, seven members of three families were buried alive under a Kucha house (Dhok) in Loran area of Poonch while dead bodies of two more persons, washed away in Rajouri flash flood on Sunday, were recovered today.
Official sources said that the bodies of eight villagers who went missing in Surankorte cloudbursts and subsequent flash floods on Sunday, could not be recovered even today despite extensive search by the locals, SDRF and policemen.
Reports from Poonch said that after a landslide on the higher reaches of Dumail hamlet, near Nandishul waterfall in Loran area of Mandi in district Poonch during early hours today a Kucha house/Dhok collapsed during early hours on Monday. The locals of the area said that it was raining heavily in the area during last night. These seven members including two children hailing from Arigam in Loran had gone to their Dhok on the higher reaches near Nandishul waterfall along with their cattle.
They said in a minor land/mudslide from the mountain, their Kucha Dara /Dhok collapsed and they all were buried alive along with their about two dozen cattle. They said that it happened roughly between 3 and 4 am today. The villagers came to know about the incident only during the day after a shepherd noticed the house collapsed. He informed other villagers and then an information was passed on to Loran police.
Soon after receiving information, SHO Loran, Mohd Younis and Tehsildar Ishfaq Hussain along with some cops and officials reached the spot and launched rescue operation with the help of locals. They extricated all the seven bodies and about half a dozen dead cattle as well. The bodies were then shifted to the village of the deceased persons at Arigam. As it had been raining in the area and rescue operation was called off late in the evening, the burial of the deceased persons will be conducted on Tuesday.
The deceased were identified Manan Rafiq (4 yrs), son of Mohd Rafiq; Areza Rafiq (2), daughter of Mohd Rafiq; Tanveer Ahmed (22), son of Ghulam Mohd; Zahida Parveen ( 26), wife of Mohd Rafiq; Shamim Bano (27), wife of Mohd Reyaz; Mohd Irfan (20), son of Abdul Subhan and Shabnam Akhtar (32), wife of Mohd Majid- all residents of Arigam, Loran.
The official further said that out of the 15 persons washed away in flash floods in Poonch on Sunday morning, eight still remained untraced. Seven bodies have been recovered so far. A search operation for the missing persons continued even today but no more body could be recovered.
Reports from Doda said that two passengers were killed while at least six others were injured when a big boulder fell on a bus (JK02BA/4877) which was on its way to Jammu from Bhaderwah this morning.
The incident took place near Ragi Nallah on Batote- Doda highway at around 7.30 am. The other passengers escaped for the safety while two other cars were also trapped in the landslide in the same area. However, the occupants of the cars escaped safely. The injured were shifted to the Assar hospital and then removed to GMC Doda. The highway remained blocked for more than five hours and was later restored.
The deceased were identified as Manish Kumar (33), son of Surinder Kumar, resident of Bhaderwah and Kulwant Singh (29), son of Budhi Singh, resident of Bijarni, Bagwah.
The injured are- Mohd Saleem, son of Bag Hussain from Udhampur; Moni Devi, wife of Rajinder Kumar from Jodhpur in Doda; Shafia Begum, wife of Mansoor Akhtar from Bhaderwah; Satya Devi, wife of Rajesh Kumar from Bhaderwah; Rajesh Kumar, son of Narinder Kumar from Bhaderwah and Rabiya Begum , wife of Imtiaz, resident of Kishtwar.
Meanwhile, the death toll in the devastating flash floods that struck Rajouri district on Sunday has risen as two more bodies have been recovered, while search operation continues to trace one missing person.
The body of Javed Iqbal (27), son of Late Sain Khan, a resident of Ward No. 02, Upper Kandi, Tehsil Kotranka, District Rajouri, was recovered with the help of a helicopter from Manawar Tawi near Nowshera bridge. It had been trapped in the rocks at very difficult terrain. It was airlifted at around 5:10 PM today with the assistance of an Army helicopter. After being identified by his family members, the body was shifted to Sub-District Hospital (SDH) Nowshera, where the postmortem examination was conducted.
Another body of young Vikas, a resident of Bagla, was recovered from Sallani Bridge area of Rajouri today. The postmortem was conducted at Government Medical College (GMC), Rajouri.
The search operation is continuing to trace Abdul Ghani, son of Mohammad Rafiq, a resident of Dhoke, and a daily-wage worker of the Jal Shakti Department, who went missing during the floods. Teams of the Army, Police, SDRF, Civil Defence and other agencies are carrying out intensive search operations in the Behrote area of Thannamandi and adjoining locations.
Another report said that several link roads in Rajouri district have been closed due to landslides and washing away of roads. The approach road of Androla bridge has also washed away in heavy flood, snapping the link to several villages.
According to Executive Engineer PDD, Rajouri, Javed Choudhary at least 1200 electric poles and a dozen transformers have been damaged in the district due to floods, landslides and rains and the power supply to dozens of villages and hamlets has been snapped.
The District Administration has made extensive arrangements for the rehabilitation of flood-affected families. In Rajouri town, 91 families comprising 503 persons have been provided temporary shelter at Government Boys Higher Secondary School (BHSS), Rajouri and Government High School Jawahar Nagar, where food, drinking water, medical care and other essential facilities are being provided with the support of the District Administration and the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA).
In Thannamandi, 29 flood-affected families comprising 126 persons have been accommodated in various government schools, PHCs and Panchayat Ghars after their houses were damaged due to the flash floods. The administration is ensuring the availability of food, shelter, healthcare and other basic necessities for all the affected families.
Deputy Commissioner Rajouri is personally monitoring the overall flood situation and regularly visiting the affected areas to oversee relief and rehabilitation measures. He is also closely supervising the ongoing search operation for the missing Jal Shakti Department worker in the Behrote area of Thannamandi.
The District Administration Rajouri has cancelled the leaves of all the Government and the Health employees in the district. Those on leave have been asked to report back to their respective duties.
A Defence official said that in a remarkable display of courage and selfless service, soldiers of 61 Rashtriya Rifles, led by Major Mohit Bisht, rescued 13 civilians who were trapped in a raging mountain stream following a sudden flash flood in the Thannamandi area of Rajouri district. The rescue operation was launched after the civilians became stranded due to the sudden rise in water levels in a fast-flowing mountain nala. Despite the extreme danger posed by the powerful current, the Army team acted swiftly, securing a rope across the torrent before evacuating each stranded person to safety one by one.
The rescued civilians included six women, five children, and two elderly persons. The operation was carried out under highly hazardous conditions, with the soldiers risking their own lives to ensure the safe evacuation of every individual. Their timely intervention prevented what could have been a major tragedy.
A report from Udhampur said that at least seven shops have been damaged at Kither-Narsu along Jammu Srinagar National Highway in Chenani area of Udhampur last night. They said Udhampur-Pancheri road continued to remain closed due to massive landslide at Chobu Nallah near Meer village.
Reports said due to massive flood in Tawi and Chenab, the administration has sounded general alert in the low lying areas of Jammu, Phallain Mandal, Chatha, Satwari. Bhagwati Nagar and other villages. In Akhnoor, Jourian, Khour and Pargwal area also, an alert has been sounded. There is fear among the people residing closer to the Tawi and Akhnoor due to heavy flood in these rivers for the last two days. They are spending sleepless nights while some have shifted to the houses of their relatives.
Meanwhile, the Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (DMRRR) Department, J&K and Ladakh, has issued a public advisory urging residents, commuters, tourists and all concerned to remain alert following the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) forecast of heavy rainfall over the region.
The advisory cautions that the anticipated weather conditions may lead to flash floods, landslides and disruption of essential services. Citizens have been advised to avoid unnecessary travel during periods of heavy rainfall and to stay away from nallahs, riverbanks, flood-prone areas and landslide-prone slopes. The public has also been urged not to cross swollen streams, damaged roads or unstable bridges.
