Jammu: Villager washed away in flash floods; 19 rescued

A villager was washed away in flash floods while 19 others were rescued from the swirling waters in Jammu and Poonch districts early on Friday morning.

Heavy rains, which lashed the mountainous districts of Jammu region, triggered flash floods in Tawi, Chenab, Sanglad, Charsu, Basantar, Khanetar and Ujh rivers in Jammu, Poonch, Kathua, Reasi and Udhampur districts, police said.

Most of the rivers were flowing above the danger mark, they said.

An elderly villager identified as Parmanand was washed away in Charsu river in Katra belt of Reasi district early on Friday morning, they said.

An army vehicle was also washed away in the flash floods in Sanglad river in Mendhar area of Poonch district, they said, adding two jawans -- Havaldar Pintoo Majumdar and Lance Naik Sunil -- who were trapped in the flash floods in the vehicle were rescued.

Army and police conducted various rescue operations in river Tawi and rescued 17 people from Belicharana, Bhagwati Nagar and Gunda Chak areas in Jammu district on Thursday evening.

Of these, 8 children caught in flash floods were rescued from river Tawi at Gunda Chak by army followed by five who were rescued from Bhagwati Nagar area and four others from Belicharana area, they said.

Due to flash floods in Khanetar nallah in Poonch district, a bridge was washed away, cutting off the road links with various villages, they said, adding units of army and BSF were also cut off due to washing away this bridge.

In Udhampur district, flash floods entered over 100 houses in Sumbal area and damaged two houses, they said.

A group of seven motorcycle-borne foreign tourists, who were trapped in Basohli area of Kathua district due to flash floods and landslides, were provided boarding and lodging facilities by the district administration in the area, they said.