 "38 people were killed after heavy rainfall triggered landslides along the Vaishno Devi shrine route in Trikuta Hills. X/@airnewsalerts")
The death toll of the Vaishno Devi landslide has risen to 38 after 28 more bodies were pulled out of the debris along the trek path, as monsoon rains wreak havoc in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district.
The heavy rains were triggered by a cloudburst earlier this month, destroying homes and roads as water gushed through the region. Most of the casualties were recorded in Reasi’s Ardhkuwari. Among the dead were pilgrims from UP, Rajasthan, Delhi and Punjab, officials have said. Doda has reported four deaths from the devastating landslides.
Flood alert issued
The Met Office reported that Jammu recorded 380mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours, the highest ever for that time frame since the weather observatory was set up in 1910. The previous record stood at 270mm on September 25, 1988. “To put this in perspective, Jammu’s average rainfall for the entire month of August is 403.1mm,” an official noted.
“More than 5,000 people were evacuated to safety from low-lying, flooded areas of Jammu. Army, NDRF and SDRF are working in coordination with the divisional commissioner’s office to ensure there is an adequate supply of relief materials and all possible assistance is being given to those affected,” an official statement from J&K’s administration read.
The administration has issued a flood alert after the Jhelum River breached the safety mark of 22 feet near Sangam. Authorities have also shut the Srinagar-Jammu highway due to the landslides.
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View AllLG announces ex gratia
Lt Governor Manoj Sinha announced an ex gratia of ₹9 lakh for the families of those who died in the landslide. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also approved ₹4 lakh each for the families of the 11 victims from his state who lost their lives in the Reasi landslide.