Flash floods hit Surankote belt in Poonch, schools shut
Flash floods triggered by heavy rains hit areas of Surankote town in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Monday, prompting authorities to shut educational institutions and sound an alert, officials said.
Surankote SHO Rajvir Singh said heavy rains lashed Surankote around 8pm on Sunday and within two hours, the entire town was inundated with flash floods. He said that over a dozen houses and several shops were damaged in the rain incident.
“Vehicles in lanes and roads were also swept away. The losses are into lakhs of rupees. Luckily, there was no loss of life in the flash floods,” said the officer.
According to officials, heavy overnight rains in the hilly areas of the Surankote belt triggered flash floods, with huge volume of water entering houses and shops.
The army and police pitched in to help the aggrieved residents. Authorities also issued advisories to people to stay at home and not venture close to rivers and nullahs in the wake of the threat of flash floods.
Locals said that there were scenes of destruction everywhere with dozens of houses and shops suffering damage. “Our entire merchandise stock kept in shops has been damaged and we are at wit’s end,” said one of the traders. “It was like a cloudburst as over a dozen vehicles, two wheelers and cars were swept away in the rain water,” he said. Meanwhile, a heavy machinery operator, Zafar Ahmed, of Kalai was drowned in Suran river at Kalai in Poonch while his colleague Tahir Masood of Chandak was rescued after they were swept away in a flash flood on Sunday night.
105 tourists stuck in flash floods rescued in Lahaul
SHIMLA At least 105 people were rescued in a three-hourlong operation undertaken jointly by the Border Road Organization (BRO), district administration and police in Lahaul and Spiti on Sunday night.
The flooding in Doirni nullah on Sunday evening disrupted the traffic on strategic NH 505 which connects Sissu to Nako, a village close to China’s border. One vehicle parked along the road was damaged after boulders fell on it. The stranded tourists were rescued and later lodged at Koksar. Those stranded were mostly tourists, including 39 women and 12 children. The BRO sent three trucks to rescue those stranded. “All the stranded persons were rescued at 1.30am. All of them are safe,” said superintendent of police Manav Verma.
Minister stranded in Miyar valley
Tribal development minister Ram Lal Markanda was stranded in Miyar valley after the road connectivity got snapped due to flash floods.