At least 18 people have lost their lives in the last few hours due to the intense rains and flooding recorded in several areas of India, including Kashmir and the state of Nagaland.
In the districts of Rayuri and Punch, in the part of Kashmir administered by India, the death of ten people has been confirmed. One of the victims is Nazia Kousar, 28 years old, who died when her home collapsed in the locality of Noonabandi, in the district of Surankote. Her husband, Mohammad Hafiz, and their three children, aged between two and six years, were rescued from the rubble of the building and taken to a hospital, according to the newspaper "The Indian Express".
Six members of the same family remain missing after a landslide buried their house. Rescue teams are already working in the area with the aim of locating the victims among the mud and debris.
In Marhote, also in Kashmir, the disappearance of a minor swept away by the force of the water has been reported, while in Dhundak the body of a woman has been found near the Dhundak Lathoong bridge. Additionally, significant damage has been recorded in Rajouri and, in Bella, hundreds of families have been forced to leave their homes, built in the bed of a now overflowing river.
The Chief Minister of Jammu-Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, was in New Delhi on a trip to demand the restoration of regional autonomy, suspended since 2019, but has announced that he will interrupt his stay in the capital and return immediately to coordinate the response to the emergency.
Abdullah has emphasized that the State Disaster Response Fund, the Police, and other government agencies have already been activated to provide assistance to those affected and participate in the rescue operations.
Eight dead in Nagaland due to landslides
Meanwhile, in the district of Mon, in the northeastern state of Nagaland, eight people have died and another twelve have been injured due to the landslides caused by the rainfall.
The sub-commissioner of Mon, Wennyei Konyak, has indicated that so far four bodies have been recovered and that another four remain trapped under the debris, according to information released by the Indian agency ANI.
"Eight people have died in the landslides caused by the incessant rain in various points of the Mon district. The town of etizit is one of the most affected," he explained.
In the search and rescue efforts, personnel from the State Disaster Response Force, the Police, the Assam Rifles, the National Disaster Response Force, as well as residents of the area are participating in the on-ground tasks.
The India Meteorological Department has warned that more precipitation is expected in the northeast of the country throughout the week and has issued alerts for the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura.