J&K Monsoon Fury: 7 Killed in Reasi & 4 In Ramban as Landslides and Cloudbursts as Relentless Rains Batter Region

A week of relentless monsoon fury has unleashed fresh tragedy in Jammu and Kashmir, with at least 11 people killed in separate incidents of a landslide in Reasi and a cloudburst in Ramban district. The devastating events on Friday have once again highlighted the region’s vulnerability to extreme weather, which has already claimed dozens of lives and caused widespread destruction.

In a heartbreaking incident in Reasi district’s Mahore area, seven members of a single family were buried alive when their house collapsed in a landslide triggered by a cloudburst around 3 am on Saturday. Officials confirmed that the bodies of Nazir Ahmad, his wife, and their five minor sons were retrieved from the debris after several hours.

Meanwhile, in Ramban district, a cloudburst in the mountainous Rajgarh area triggered flash floods that swept away homes and claimed the lives of four people. At least four others are reported to be missing, and a massive rescue operation is underway to trace them. The entire Jammu region has been battered by torrential rain for a week, leading to catastrophic conditions.

The crucial Jammu-Srinagar National Highway has remained closed for the fifth consecutive day due to landslides, leaving over 2,000 vehicles stranded. Dozens of villages in Jammu, Samba, Kathua, and Udhampur remain cut off from the rest of the region. These latest tragedies follow the massive landslide that struck the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine route in Katra earlier this week, killing 31 pilgrims and leading to the suspension of the yatra. The weather office has predicted no immediate respite, issuing an orange alert for heavy rainfall in several districts, including Poonch, Ramban, and Udhampur, for Saturday and Sunday, signaling the likelihood of more severe weather to come.