Srinagar: A woman and her three daughters, aged between two and five, were killed after their ‘kutcha’ house collapsed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district, officials said on Sunday.
Moderate to heavy rains lashed several parts of Jammu and Kashmir on March 1 and 2. Dozens of structures including residential houses were also damaged by strong winds and hailstorm in different parts of Jammu region.
In the Reasi incident, Phalla Akhter (30), her daughters Nasima (5), Safeena Kousar (3) and Samreen Kousar (2) lost their lives when their house in Kunderdhan Mohra village in Chassana tehsil collapsed following heavy rains, the officials said.
Two elderly members of the family — Kalu (60) and his wife Bano Begum (58) — suffered injuries in the incident and were taken to hospital, they said.
The bodies were retrieved from the debris by rescuers, they added.
Meanwhile dozens of residential houses and other structures, including several government schools, were also damaged by strong winds and hailstorm in different parts of the J&K.
The police have set up control rooms in all district headquarters after incessant rains flooded the water bodies to meet any eventuality, the officials said, requesting people to stay away from the swollen rivers, rivulets, streams and ponds.
A police spokesperson said several families who were trapped in the Bowli Bazar area of Ramban due to a heavy mudslide were rescued late Saturday night.
Over 200 tourists from Kerala who were left stranded in Banihal on their return from Kashmir were relocated to a safe shelter house on Saturday night and provided with essential amenities like food, blankets, and quilts, the spokesperson said.
He added that a vehicle got stuck in a mudslide at Cafeteria Morh along the highway but prompt action by the police rescued all the individuals safely.
In another instance, six men, four women and a child who were stranded at Nachlana due to heavy rain and shooting stones were rescued and shifted a safer place, the spokesman said.
Expanding their efforts, the police provided essential relief to stranded passengers on the blocked highway, offering water, food, tea, and more, he said.
Anticipating unforeseen circumstances due to heavy rainfall, the police, in collaboration with the Disaster Response Team and Quick Response Team, are on high alert, the spokesperson said, adding that these dedicated teams are prepared to reach any area within 15 minutes.