By Salonee Kulkarni
Eleven people were declared dead in two separate incidents in J&K on Saturday Morning in Reasi and Ramban due to a landslide and a cloudburst.
Officials reported that four villagers were killed and a few are missing due to flash floods in the Rajgarh Tehsil of Ramban. The officials further reported on the aftermath of the event, which destroyed a school and two houses. Four bodies were recovered. Search and rescue operation teams are investigating the affected areas to locate missing people.
Another incident was uncovered in the Mahore district of Reasi, which was hit by a landslide on Saturday, resulting in house walls collapsing and killing five children buried under the debris. The aforementioned incident took place in Badder Village in Reasi, a couple and five children were declared bereft of life.
The victims of the incident include Nazir Ahmed, 35, and Wazira Begum, 35, Bilal Ahmed, 13, and Mohammed Mustafa,11, Mohammed Adil, 8, Mohammed Mubarak, 6 and Mohammed Wasim, 5.
Landslides have damaged roads between Udampur and Banihal, resulting in the suspension of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway for five consecutive days on Saturday.
The recent data reveals rain, cloudburst and landslides has created economical disturbances in the region. In the last two weeks, the region has witnessed numerous deaths, and 115 pilgrims have been killed. Sixty-five pilgrims were killed in the Machail Mata Yatra in Kishtwar. The cloudburst had occurred in Chishoti village of Padder. A landslide had recently hit a region near the Mata Vaishnodevi shrine in Jammu. The death toll rose to thirty pilgrims.
A committee was announced by the government on Friday to research the matters related to recurrent landslides in the region, which resulted in damage to human life and property. The committee will probe into the matter of the reason behind the landslide, and the strategies the government can adopt to prevent landslides in the future. SOPs were also suggested in the committee related to the prevention of such disaster occurrences. The committee was announced with the view of better disaster management strategies and blueprints.