At least eight people, including four minor cousins, were killed and two injured in separate incidents as heavy rains triggered landslides and damaged several houses in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district on Wednesday, officials said.
The incidents took place in Bani Tehsil at around 6 am, the officials said.
In ward number 3 of Surjan Morha village, 250km from Kathua headquarters, five members of a family were buried alive after two mud houses were hit by the landslide. “It took three hours for a police team to reach the area in view of landslides at several places leading to the village,” Kathua senior superintendent of police (SSP) SDS Jamwal said.
Arjun Magotra, station house officer of Bani police station, said: “Five members of the family were killed and another injured as the mud houses with tin sheet roofs collapsed.”
The deceased were identified as Zarina Begum (40), her sons Shahbaz (14) and Arbaz (2), and Zarina’s nephew and niece, Mohammad Arif (13) and Nazia (10). The injured was identified as Abdul Qayoom.
In separate incidents, 14-year-old Ajay Singh, Naseema Begum (50), and a mason, Sham Lal, died in Sitti, Madhota and Bhullari villages, respectively, in the landslide.
All the bodies have been recovered. District magistrate Rakesh Minhas sanctioned an immediate relief of ₹50,000 each to the next of kin.
Heavy rainfall in Jammu and Kashmir caused landslides in several places. Taking to Twitter, Ramban deputy commissioner said that National Highway 44 was blocked in several areas due to mud slush and shooting stones and that people should avoid travelling until road clearance works were executed.
Earlier in the day, Kathua police issued an advisory in view of the heavy rains.
The district received 17.2mm rainfall in 24 hours and the MeT department has predicted intermittent light to moderate rain and thundershower in many places in Jammu and at scattered places in Kashmir from Thursday till Sunday.
“Heavy to very heavy rain is possible at some places of Jammu region this week till Sunday,” said a MeT spokesperson.
