
Three people were killed and more than 100 rescued after heavy rainfall triggered flash floods, landslides, and cloudbursts in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district early Sunday. The downpour battered multiple parts of the region, damaging dozens of homes, sweeping away vehicles, and forcing the suspension of traffic along the crucial Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.
A cloudburst struck Seri Bagna village in Ramban, killing three people, including two brothers, according to news agency PTI. Rescue operations in the area were still underway when last reports came in. With the latest deaths, five people have died in rain-related incidents across the Jammu region in the past two days.
Late Saturday, two others were killed—one of them a woman—and another woman was injured after being struck by lightning in the Arnas area of Reasi district.
Dharam Kund village in Ramban was among the worst hit by flash floods. Around 40 residential houses were damaged, of which 10 were fully destroyed. The remaining suffered partial structural losses. Officials said more than 100 trapped villagers were rescued by police teams that reached the spot despite severe weather conditions, including ongoing cloudbursts and continuous rain. Several vehicles were also swept away after a local stream overflowed.
A senior government official said that there had been massive damage in the entire district due to heavy rain, cloudbursts, high-velocity winds, landslides and hailstorms.
The weather disaster also hit transport. A traffic department spokesperson confirmed that vehicular movement along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was halted in both directions due to landslides, mudslides, and shooting stones at multiple spots between Nashri and Banihal. "The rain was continuing along the highway and commuters were advised not to travel on the arterial road till the weather improved and the road cleared," the spokesperson said.
Hundreds of passengers were stranded along the 250-kilometre stretch, which is the only all-weather road connecting the Kashmir Valley to the rest of the country, the news agency reported. A portion of the road near Panthiyal was reportedly swept away, though all stranded individuals were eventually moved to safety.