JAMMU/SRINAGAR: Following two days of record rainfall, the death toll in Jammu and Kashmir rose to 36, with the majority being victims of a landslide on the Vaishno Devi route. Showers eased on Wednesday, allowing relief operations to gain momentum.
Water levels in many rivers across Jammu showed signs of receding. However, the Jhelum in Anantnag and Srinagar breached the flood alert mark, flooding several residential areas. Authorities urged residents to remain calm, assuring them that the situation is being closely monitored.
Extensive damage has been reported to public infrastructure, including key bridges, private homes, and commercial establishments, due to overflowing rivers and flash floods across the Union Territory. Telecom services were partially restored after being suspended for over 22 hours. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also rushed to Jammu from Srinagar to personally assess the situation.
The Vaishno Devi landslide claimed 32 lives, with rescuers continuing to recover bodies from the debris a day after the disaster struck the route to the hilltop shrine in Reasi district. At least 20 people sustained injuries and are receiving treatment in various hospitals. The landslide occurred around 3 PM on Tuesday near Inderprastha Bhojnalaya at Ardhkuwari, roughly halfway along the 12-km trek from Katra to the shrine.
Rescue teams are continuing to search the rubble for survivors. While 30 bodies were recovered on-site, two of the injured later died in hospital. The pilgrimage to the shrine remained suspended for a second day. Although the Himkoti trek route had been closed since Tuesday morning, the old route was operating until authorities suspended it in the afternoon as a precaution.
Jammu recorded 380 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8:30 AM on Wednesday—the highest single-day rainfall since the observatory was established in 1910.
