Kashmir Impulse Desk
Srinagar, Aug 7
A husband and wife were swept away by a flash flood triggered by heavy rain in Kaghote panchayat of Ramnagar in Udhampur district on Friday, officials said.
The victims were identified as Baldev and his wife, Maya Devi. The couple was caught in a sudden surge of water following intense rainfall in the area, officials said.
Rescue teams were deployed, and the body of one victim was recovered, while efforts continued to locate the other, authorities said.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh said he had spoken with Udhampur Deputy Commissioner Minga Sherpa after receiving information about the incident. Singh expressed condolences to the family and said his office was monitoring the rescue operation with the district administration.
Authorities advised residents in vulnerable areas to remain alert and avoid streams and other flood-prone locations during periods of heavy rain.
The weather department has forecast the possibility of intense rainfall, cloudbursts and flash floods in parts of the Jammu region around Aug. 9-10, particularly in vulnerable and higher areas of the Chenab Valley, Jammu, Udhampur, Reasi, Rajouri and Poonch.
Mahender Singh, chief scientist and in-charge of agrometeorology at SKUAST-Jammu, said rainfall activity was expected to ease in many parts of Jammu division after August 7, before increasing again after Aug. 10, with isolated intense spells possible.
Heavy rain could also trigger landslides and shooting stones in vulnerable hilly areas, he said.
Official figures cited in the report show that Jammu and Kashmir recorded more than 25 cloudburst incidents between June and the end of July, causing flash floods and more than 30 deaths, with the Jammu region reporting the greatest impact.
