5 dead, over 100 rescued amid cloudbursts and flash floods in Jammu and Kashmir, India

A cloudburst killed 3 people in the Seri Bagna Village in the Ramban of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, April 20. This was part of a larger series of rain-related disasters affecting the region over the past few days.

A day earlier, on Saturday, April 19, two people, including one woman, were killed after lightning struck the Arnas area in Reasi district.

As of Monday, April 21, flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall have damaged 30 homes and destroyed 10 in Dharam Kund village. Disaster response teams have rescued over 100 people across the affected areas.

Heavy rains and strong winds began impacting the state on Thursday, April 17, uprooting trees, disrupting the power supply, and causing significant structural damage across the region. Multiple cloudbursts and flash floods, along with debris, have complicated rescue efforts in the affected regions.

According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the state of Jammu and Kashmir received an average of 16.9 mm (0.7 inches) of rainfall in 24 hours ending 08:30 local time (LT) on Sunday, which is 575 % more of the normal rainfall of 2.5 mm (0.1) for this time of the year. It is worth noting that this is the average total reported for the entire state, and multiple regions have received locally higher totals.

Udhampur district was among the worst-affected areas, with numerous trees uprooted, resulting in severe traffic disruptions. Several roads in the area were blocked, and widespread power outages were reported across multiple localities.

“I inspected my Panchayat, and several trees were uprooted. Traffic and electricity have been impacted. It’s been 4 to 5 years since we experienced such powerful winds,” said former Sarpanch of Sateni Panchayat in Udhampur, Parshottam Gupta.

In Jammu, a portion of the boundary wall of the Civil Secretariat collapsed due to strong winds, bringing down the barbed wire fencing with it. The debris damaged several parked vehicles. Authorities deployed a JCB machine to clear the rubble and restore normal movement in the area.

Landslides triggered by the incessant rainfall have caused significant traffic disruptions on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44). Nearly a dozen locations along the Nashri-Banihal stretch were also affected by the landslides and mudslides.

NH-44 is the only all-weather road connecting the Kashmir Valley to the rest of India. A blockage on this route can significantly disrupt the supply and transportation of goods and services in the region. On April 20, multiple vehicles were swept away by overflowing streams following heavy rainfall and flash floods in the Ramban district.

Authorities confirmed that all those stranded have been safely relocated. The traffic department has urged the public to avoid traveling on the highway until clearance work is complete and conditions improve.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has called an emergency meeting to assess the situation. Officials remain on high alert, warning of continued rainfall and unstable terrain in the coming days.

References:

¹ Cloudburst in J&K’s Ramban: Jammu-Srinagar highway shut, rescue ops underway – Tehelka – April 21, 2025

² J&K cloud burst: 3 dead, over 100 people rescued as heavy rain triggers flash flood, homes damaged, national highway blocked – TOI – April 21, 2025

Rishav Kothari

I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.

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