Three dead in Jammu, dozen houses damaged as rains wreak havoc in Valley

Jammu: Three persons, including a woman, were killed and nearly a dozen houses damaged in rain-related incidents in different districts of the Jammu region, officials said on Saturday.

Harbans Lal, 45, was washed away by flash floods in a stream near his house at Natulphal village of Khour in the Akhnoor sector here this afternoon, they said.

The officials said Lal was crossing the stream when a sudden surge in the water level due to incessant rains caught him. The body of the deceased was recovered and handed over to his family, they said. A woman, identified as Jameela, was killed when a tree got uprooted due to heavy rains and fell on her temporary shelter at Kalamsatherdhar village of Kishtwar district, the officials said. Jameela's daughter was also injured in the incident and was shifted to a hospital, they said.

A 22-year-old man, Anzar Ahmad, was also washed away by flash floods in a stream at the Surankote area of Poonch district on Friday and his body was recovered, the officials said. Nearly a dozen 'kacha' houses were also damaged, while 28 cattle were perished in the heavy rains in different districts, especially in the areas in the Chinab Valley over the past three days.

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Several footbridges, including two in Udhampur district, were also washed away by the strong currents as most of the water bodies across the region are flooded. Six men, who got trapped in the middle of the Tawi river near Pukroo here on Friday night due to sudden rise in the water, were rescued, the officials said.

Six men who got trapped in the middle of the Tawi river near Pukroo. (Photo: ANI/Twitter)

Some machines, including a dumber machine, were damaged at the site of the 48-MW hydel project at Kalnai, a tributary of the Chenab river in Doda district, besides an ordinary bund meant to divert river water was damaged in the flash floods. The revenue teams are accessing the damage caused due to the flood like situation, the officials said.

Monsoon rains hit the region on Wednesday and have been intermittent since then. However, the hilly areas of the Jammu regions, including Ramban, Doda, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri and Reasi districts, experienced heavy rains over the past two days.