Flash floods after cloudburst hit Himachal, J&K, Uttarakhand: Roads blocked, homes destroyed - photos show devastation

Flash floods and landslides caused widespread havoc across several regions of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttarakhand on Sunday, as heavy rainfall relentlessly lashed the states.

At least 7 people were killed and many others injured after a cloudburst hit Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district during the night intervening Saturday and Sunday, said officials here, adding that a rescue operation is now underway in the affected area.

This is the second cloudburst to hit in Jammu and Kashmir during the last four days. On August 14, a massive cloudburst hit the Chashoti village in the Padder subdivision of Kishtwar district. So far, 65 bodies have been recovered, and over 100 people have been rescued in the Chashoti cloudburst disaster.

Flash floods in Takoli, Panarsa, and Nagwain, which are located within a distance of around 2 kms in the Mandi district bordering Kullu, swept away a stretch of the Chandigarh-Manali national highway besides damaging houses and agricultural land.

Minister of State (PMO), Dr Jintendra Singh, said on X, “Spoken to SSP Kathua Shobhit Saxena after receiving information about a cloud burst in the Janglote area. 4 casualties reported. In addition, damage has occurred to the railway track and National Highway, while Police Station Kathua has been affected."

Flash floods that struck around 4 am in Uttarakhand brought along huge debris, including boulders and trees that scattered on the highway, blocking it for traffic. In the nearby Panarsa and Nagwain, the flood water damaged houses, vehicles, and agricultural land.

The civilian administration, Military and Paramilitary have swung into action, and the situation is being continuously monitored. The district administration issued a weather advisory and said "heavy to very heavy rainfall" is reported across the district. It also requested the public to stay away from water bodies.

The disaster struck Chashoti, the last motorable village en route to the Machail Mata temple, at approximately 12.25 p.m. on August 14. It flattened a makeshift market, a community kitchen site for the Machail Mata Yatris, and a security outpost.

75 people have been reported missing by their families, although locals and eyewitnesses claim that hundreds may have been swept away by flash floods and buried under giant boulders, logs, and rubble. Among the deceased were two personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and a Special Police Officer (SPO) of the local police, the officials added.

Rescue efforts were intensified with the deployment of nearly a dozen earth-movers by the J&K civil administration and the use of specialised equipment and dog squads by the NDRF. In addition to SDRF, NDRF, home guards, local volunteers and J&K Police, the Army has deployed over 300 personnel to augment the rescue exercise.