Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, July 20

At least 17 people have died, and seven remain missing after heavy rains triggered landslides and flash floods across Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch and Rajouri districts over the past 48 hours, officials said on Monday.

Poonch accounted for 14 deaths and Rajouri three, while six people remained missing in Poonch and one in Rajouri, according to district authorities.

Seven people, including two children, were killed when a landslide struck a mud house at Dhok Domail in the Nandi Chool area of Mandi tehsil in Poonch on Monday. Rescue teams recovered all seven bodies from the debris.

The victims were identified as Tanveer Ahmed, 27, Zahida Begum, 38, Shamim Akhter, 33, Shabnam Bano, 31, Muhammad Irfan, 17, Manan Rafiq, 6, and Aleesa, 4, all residents of Loran.

The latest deaths came a day after landslides trapped 15 people at four locations in Poonch. Six bodies were recovered in Surankote and one in Poonch, while two mutilated bodies were also found.

Authorities said DNA testing would be carried out to establish the identity of the two bodies, which have not yet been included in the official death toll.

The bodies are believed to be linked to a landslide in Lowe Murrah, where eight members of a family were buried when their house collapsed after heavy rain. Five bodies have been recovered from the site, while three people remain trapped, officials said.

In neighbouring Rajouri, two missing youths were found dead after the rented accommodation where they were staying at Malik Market was swept away by flash floods. The body of Viqar Ahmed was recovered near Salani bridge, while Javid Ahmed’s body was retrieved from a river in Nowshera by the Indian Army using a helicopter.

A Jal Shakti Department employee, Abdul Ghani, remained missing after a separate flash-flood incident.

The continuing rainfall has also disrupted electricity supplies across the two districts. Poonch remained without power after heavy transmission towers were damaged, while several feeders and transmission lines in Rajouri were also out of service.

Officials said restoration work was under way but could take time because of extensive damage to infrastructure.