Heavy rain triggers flooding in Shopian; Cloudbursts hit Kishtwar, Minamarg

Srinagar, Aug 1: Heavy rainfall triggered flooding in parts of Shopian while cloudbursts caused flash floods and property damage in Kishtwar and Ladakh’s Minamarg on Saturday, prompting rescue and restoration operations and closure of key road stretches.

In Shopian’s Pahlipora village, rainwater entered several residential houses and a school following incessant rainfall. Police, SDRF and district administration teams launched evacuation and relief operations. No casualties were reported.

A cloudburst struck Chatroo market in Kishtwar around 2:30 am, triggering a flash flood that washed away several vehicles and pushed mud and debris into shops and other commercial establishments. No loss of life or injuries were reported.

The Chatroo-Kishtwar stretch of NH-244 was subsequently closed as a precautionary measure, while officials began clearing debris and assessing the damage.

Amid the adverse weather, administrations in Ramban and Kishtwar ordered the closure of government and private schools for the day, with institutions directed to conduct online classes.

Meanwhile, a cloudburst near Mina-2 in Minamarg affected four temporary shelters housing Bakerwal families. Police personnel swiftly evacuated around 20 people to safer buildings. A Wagon R was also washed away, but all its occupants were reported safe.

Traffic on the Drass-Srinagar National Highway was temporarily suspended at the affected location as police and road clearance machinery worked to restore the route.

The Meteorological Centre, Srinagar, forecast generally cloudy weather with rain and thundershowers over the coming days and warned that intense showers could trigger flash floods, landslides and shooting stones at vulnerable locations.