CM Omar Abdullah briefs Amit Shah on J&K situation; Army, CRPF join rescue ops after Vaishno Devi landslide

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday and briefed him about the situation in J&K, especially Jammu province, where heavy and continuous rainfall caused a lot of damage and disrupted normal life. The CM said that he could not reach Jammu due to the closure of Jammu airport and added that efforts are being made to restore phone and data connectivity as soon as possible, and is closely monitoring the situation.

The Jammu region has been experiencing intense monsoon showers for the past few days, causing rivers to swell, triggering landslides, and disrupting normal life in low-lying and hilly areas.

Meanwhile, the Indian Army and the CRPF joined the rescue operations in Jammu sector. The Indian Army launched Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations in flood-affected areas of Jammu region and deployed multiple rescue columns and helicopters to evacuate stranded civilians, students, and security personnel.

The Army personnel rescued seven civilians, including one child, at Garhi Garh in the RS Pura Sector, while around a dozen 12 civilians trapped inside a building in Shergarh, RS Pura Sector are being rescued. Rescue efforts are underway to evacuate students stranded in the Sher-e-Kashmir University, Jammu while troops were working to evacuate students trapped at a government school in Swahanjana.

In Mamun sector, 11 BSF personnel were safely evacuated from Nikka BOP, nine Army personnel and 50 civilians were being evacuated from Bhariyal, shared Lt Col Suneel Bartwal, PRO & Spokesperson, Ministry of Defence, Jammu.

Five killed, 10 injured in landslide near Vaishno Devi shrine

Meanwhile, at least five people were killed and 10 others injured as heavy rains led to a landslide near the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir’s Katra on Tuesday, officials said. Rescue teams rushed to the spot soon after the incident. The bodies and the injured were shifted to the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Katra.

“Rescue operation is underway. Five bodies have been brought to CHC Katra. Some people are reportedly injured. We will share further information as it comes,” Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Katra Piyush Dhotra told news agency ANI.

The landslide occurred near Indraprastha Bhojnalaya at Ardhkwari cave temple on the route to the Vaishno Devi shrine.

WATCH: J&K Cloudburst: Nine Dead in Two Incidents Across J&K, 4 in Doda, 5 in Vaishno Devi

Train services disrupted

The landslide and continuous rainfall also hit railway services in the region. Eighteen trains were cancelled due to soil erosion between Pathankot Cantt and Kandrori and flash floods in the Chakki river. Officials said that train movement was suspended between Jammu Tawi and Katra, and between Jammu Tawi and Bari Brahmana.

The Meteorological Department (MET) issued an advisory warning of “intense to very heavy rain at scattered places and extremely heavy rain at isolated places” in Jammu division, and moderate to heavy rain in south Kashmir on Tuesday.