Poonch, July 19: A severe weather system has claimed the lives of ten people in Poonch and Rajouri, prompting an immediate mobilization of local rescue assets and a direct intervention from the central government. Flash floods and sweeping mudslides buried multiple homes early Sunday morning, leaving several individuals missing under the debris. The catastrophe led to high-level security and relief reviews between New Delhi and the Jammu and Kashmir leadership.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah maintained that the Centre stands fully prepared to back the local administration during this crisis. Officials declared that the Home Minister assured the Lieutenant Governor and the Chief Minister of comprehensive financial and logistical support, asserting that rescue and rehabilitation efforts remain a top priority for the national government.
Local authorities reported that the Surankote area faced the brunt of the storm’s impact, accounting for nine deaths, with an additional fatality confirmed in Haveli tehsil. Property damage has spread into Mandi and surrounding localities, where overflowing streams and moving earth have cut off vital connectivity. Emergency workers fear the number of casualties could expand significantly as operations progress through the mud-choked residential zones.
Teams from the State Disaster Response Force alongside administrative staff are actively working to locate survivors despite the ongoing downpours. The Meteorological Centre in Srinagar has issued warnings indicating that widespread, heavy rainfall will likely persist across the region for the next five days. Residents in low-lying or slide-prone sectors have been directed to remain indoors as authorities brace for potential waterlogging and further flash floods through July 23.
