Landslide on Vaishno Devi road: 11 people from UP among 34 dead, all vehicles going to and coming from Jammu cancelled

Record rainfall in two days has caused heavy destruction due to floods and landslides in Jammu and Kashmir. The death toll in the landslide on the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra route rose to 34 on Wednesday. These include 11 people from UP. These people are from different districts of the state. Due to the rise in the rivers, public infrastructure, including many major bridges, houses, and commercial establishments, has suffered heavy damage.

All agencies, including the army, are engaged in rescue. More than 10,000 people have been evacuated from the flood-affected areas so far. The Ravi River is also in spate in Punjab, and many districts, including Pathankot, are affected by floods. Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir received an unprecedented 629.4 mm of rain in 24 hours from 8:30 am on Tuesday, and Jammu received 296 mm of rain. This is a new record of rainfall in a day since the establishment of the Meteorological Observatory in the state in 1910. All rivers including Tawi, Chenab, Ujh, Ravi and Basantar, are flowing several feet above the danger mark. The Jhelum River is also flowing above the warning mark in Anantnag and Srinagar. A bridge and 10 houses were washed away in the flood in Kishtwar. Water entered many residential areas. Chakki River is also in spate. However, the water level of many rivers has started decreasing. More than a dozen roads including Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and all schools and colleges are closed due to landslides.

58 trains coming and going from Jammu and Katra stations have been cancelled, while the routes of 64 trains have been changed. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said after taking stock of the situation in Jammu, relief and rescue operations have gained momentum after the reduction in rain. Officials said that 24 hours after the optical fiber was damaged on Tuesday, phone and network services were restored on all networks on Wednesday. Flights from Delhi to Leh have been affected due to bad weather.

Rescue workers on Wednesday pulled out more bodies from the debris on the Vaishno Devi route. The 20 people injured in the accident are being treated in hospitals. 34 bodies have been pulled out from the debris after the landslide near Indraprastha Bhojanalaya in Ardhkunwari at around 3 pm on Tuesday, while two injured died in the hospital.

CM Yogi announced Rs 4 lakh each as aid

CM Yogi Adityanath has expressed condolences to the families of the deceased who died in the natural disaster on the Vaishno Devi temple pilgrimage route. He has directed to provide financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of all the deceased residents of the state and make arrangements to send the bodies of the deceased to their homes.

PM Modi expressed grief

PM Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the deaths in the accident on the Vaishno Devi route. PM Modi took information about the situation from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and assured all possible help. He said the administration is helping all the affected people.

58 trains cancelled

58 trains to and from the Jammu division have been cancelled after the situation worsened due to rain and landslides. This includes many trains coming to Uttar Pradesh. Some trains were stopped in Ambala before Jammu. Thousands of passengers are stranded in Jammu and Katra due to the cancellation of trains. Railways has set up help desks at Jammu and Katra stations to assist the passengers.