Flash floods in India’s Kashmir region kills 60, PTI reports
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
A train crosses over a flooded railway bridge during heavy rainfall in Jalandhar on Aug 14.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
SRINAGAR, India – At least 60 people were killed and more than 100 injured in a flash flood triggered by a cloudburst in India’s northern-most region of Jammu and Kashmir, according to the Press Trust of India.
Local police and other agencies are conducting search and rescue operations in the region of Kishtwar, about 200km from capital Srinagar.
The authorities are estimating that scores of people are still buried under the debris.
In a post on X on Aug 15, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that he will “review the rescue operation and assess what further help is required”.
The weather department has predicted above-average rainfall during the June-September monsoon season.
Cloudbursts, floods, and landslides have caused significant loss of life and property in the recent months, with hilly areas being the worst affected.
Last week, flash floods swept away an entire village in the northern state of Uttarakhand.
In his Independence Day speech on Aug 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed solidarity with those affected by recent natural disasters across the country.
“Nature is testing us all,” Mr Modi said, adding that state and federal government are working together on rescue operations, relief efforts, and rehabilitation work. BLOOMBERG
