At least three people lost their lives after a cloudburst was reported at the Rajgarh tehsil in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district, said officials on Saturday. The rescuers have recovered the bodies of the three people who died in the incident, which includes two women.
Meanwhile, five others are missing following the cloudburst, and a rescue operation has been launched to trace them, the officials added.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh spoke to Ramban DC Mohammad Alyas Khan and inquired about the incident. He said a rescue operation is underway and every possible assistance is being provided to the affected people. "Cloud burst in Rajgarh area resulting in the unfortunate casualty of four persons. The fifth one is missing and the search is going on," he posted on 'X'.
Jammu and Kashmir has been battered by heavy rainfall in the past few days, leading to multiple cloudbursts and flash floods in the union territory (UT). On Friday, another cloudburst was reported in Gurez Sector of the Bandipora district, causing panic among the people. However, no loss of life was reported in the incident, said officials.
rant Rs 1.60 lakh crore package to Jammu: Dy CM to PM
With the situation worsening due to heavy rains, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to grant double the Rs 80,000 crore package, announced after the 2014 floods in Kashmir, to the Jammu region.
Speaking to reporters, Choudhary said Jammu is facing the worst natural calamity in nearly 100 years, which has caused massive destruction in the region. He said the package should be directly provided to the affected people in Jammu.
"The damage is so immense that today I will appeal to the prime minister and the home minister of the country to announce a major package, because this time Jammu has witnessed an even greater floods than Kashmir in 2014, which has caused massive destruction. A package worth more than Rs 80,000 crore is needed here," he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Orange alert issued for J-K
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Rajouri, Reasi, Jammu, Udhampur, Kathua, and Samba on Saturday, predicting heavy rainfall, along with thunderstorms and lightning, in the districts.
The weather department has also issued a yellow alert for Ramban, Kishtwar and Doda, predicting moderate rainfall in the districts, along with some thunderstorms and lightning.
