OFFICIALS said here on Thursday that at least seven Kashmiris are feared dead after a massive landslide hit Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh. Officials said that the rescue operation is on in the landslide-hit area of the Kullu district. “All the feared dead Kashmiris are residents of Tulail in the Valley’s Bandipora district, who were working as labourers in Himachal,” officials said. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed grief over the tragic landslide in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, which has claimed several lives, including residents of J&K. “The Chief Minister’s Office is in touch with the local administration in Kullu, and all possible assistance is being extended,” the office of J&K CM said on X. Meanwhile, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said a landslide in Kullu led to the collapse of two houses, leaving around 12-13 persons feared trapped.

 

“An NDRF team carried out collapsed structure search and rescue (CSSR) operations, during which three injured persons were rescued and one body was recovered. Search and rescue operations are continuing to trace the remaining trapped victims,” the NDRF posted on X. Himachal, Punjab, Jammu, Delhi reeling under flood fury: TWO houses collapsed following a landslide in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district on Thursday, leaving one person dead and six more buried under the rubble, officials said. The incident occurred in the Akhada Bazaar area round 6 am. A team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescued three people, including a woman, and recovered one body. Since the onset of monsoon in Himachal on June 20, the State has witnessed 95 flash floods, 45 cloudbursts and 127 major landslide incidents. At least 343 people have died in rain-related incidents and road accidents, while 43 are missing since the monsoon began. Punjab floods: With the Bhakra dam around one foot short of its maximum capacity of 1,680 feet, the Rupnagar administration on Thursday issued an alert, urging people near the Sutlej river to move to safer places.

 

The water level in the Bhakra dam rose to 1,678.97 feet on Thursday morning, compared to its maximum capacity of 1,680 feet, following rainfall in its catchment areas. Punjab is currently facing one of its worst flood disasters in decades. The floods are a result of swollen rivers, the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi, along with seasonal rivulets caused by heavy rainfall in their catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. The deluge has claimed 37 lives so far and impacted over 3.55 lakh people. Crops on more than 1.75 lakh hectares of land have perished in the floods, officials stated. Jammu floods: The administration has intensified restoration work and debris clearance in low-lying areas of Jammu city following flooding in the Tawi river, and has considerably restored water and power supply in the affected areas. Record-breaking rainfall triggered panic as the river Tawi, popularly known as Surya Putri, roared with flood fury on August 26, inundating hundreds of homes and hectares of farmland, washing away structures and livestock, and displacing thousands in Jammu city, particularly Gujjar Nagar and Peerkho.

 

Peerkho, among the worst-hit areas, was left strewn with half-buried vehicles, debris, boulders and uprooted trees. More than 300 people, including children and the elderly were rescued. But fear still lingered like a shadow. Delhi floods: The water level in the Yamuna river at Delhi’s Old Railway Bridge stood at 207.47 metres at 9 am, even as floodwater from the raging river continued to inundate nearby areas and relief camps. Floodwaters reached near Delhi Secretariat, which houses the offices of the Chief Minister, Cabinet Ministers and key bureaucrats. The areas in the vicinity of Vasudev Ghat were also flooded. In some low-lying areas like Mayur Vihar Phase I, even relief camps were flooded.