At least 25 killed as heavy monsoon rain triggers floods and landslides, India

At least 15 people were killed in Poonch, Rajouri, and Doda districts of Indian-administered Kashmir, nine died in landslides in Nagaland, and one died in floods in Assam, according to local officials. More than 57 000 people were affected across seven districts of Assam.

Later reporting from Jammu and Kashmir said four more people were killed in rain-related incidents across Jammu on July 20, raising the death toll there to 16 over two days. At least seven people are still missing as persistent rain hampered rescue and relief operations in Poonch and Rajouri districts.

IMD’s press release issued at 13:40 IST on July 20 said extremely heavy rainfall of 210 mm (8.3 inches) or more was recorded over Uttarakhand and Meghalaya during the 24 hours ending at 08:30 IST. 370 mm (14.6 inches) was recorded at Williamnagar in Assam and Meghalaya, 220 mm (8.7 inches) at Shama in Uttarakhand, 200 mm (7.9 inches) at Siwan in Bihar, 150 mm (5.9 inches) at Tuli NSDMA AWS in Nagaland, and 90 mm (3.5 inches) at Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir.

In Jammu and Kashmir, torrential rain caused flash flooding and landslides across the Pir Panjal region, with Poonch and Rajouri among the affected districts. New Indian Express reported that heavy rain on July 20 hampered rescue operations in both districts after flash floods and landslides killed 12 people a day earlier, including 10 in Poonch and two in Rajouri. Additional deaths were reported in Doda and Rajouri on July 20.

Police, Army, SDRF, Civil Defence personnel, and local volunteers continued rescue efforts despite swollen streams, slippery terrain, and poor visibility.

In Nagaland, landslides struck Mon district headquarters early on July 19 after several hours of heavy rain. Mon Deputy Commissioner Wennyei Konyak reported eight deaths, 12 injuries, four bodies recovered, and four more bodies trapped under debris, while Reuters later reported nine deaths in Nagaland.

The landslide occurred at around 06:30 local time in Mon town, affected a cluster of 10 to 15 houses, and followed multiple landslides across Mon district after incessant rain.

In Assam, one person died in Sivasagar and more than 57 100 people were affected in Charaideo, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Sivasagar, Tinsukia, and Udalguri districts, according to Assam State Disaster Management Authority’s (ASDMA) daily flood report. Charaideo was the worst-hit district with nearly 24 000 people affected, followed by Dhemaji with around 22 000 and Dibrugarh with about 4 000.

ASDMA officials said 14 relief camps and relief distribution centers were operating across four districts, 440 people were taking shelter, 10 people had been rescued by the State Disaster Response Force in Charaideo, and 298 villages remained inundated. Floodwaters damaged embankments, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure, while 3 874 ha (9 572 acres) of cropland and more than 37 558 domestic animals and poultry were affected.

The Burhidihing River was above the danger mark at Chenimari in Dibrugarh district’s Khowang area. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the state requested the Indian Army and Indian Air Force to remain on standby to support evacuation and rescue operations in Sivasagar, Charaideo, and Jorhat districts, if required.

IMD forecast calls for heavy to very heavy rainfall with isolated extremely heavy rainfall over Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad and Himachal Pradesh on July 20 and 21, and over Uttarakhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, and Meghalaya on July 20. Fairly widespread to widespread rainfall is forecast over Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad from July 20 to 24 and over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand from July 20 to 26.

For northeast India, IMD forecast fairly widespread to widespread rainfall over Assam and Meghalaya and Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura from July 20 to 26, with isolated very heavy rainfall over Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura on July 20 and 21, and heavy to very heavy rainfall with isolated extremely heavy rainfall over Assam and Meghalaya on July 20.

Heavy to very heavy and extremely heavy rainfall could cause localized flooding of roads, waterlogging in low-lying areas, underpass closures, reduced visibility, traffic disruption, minor damage to kutcha roads, damage to vulnerable structures, localized landslides, crop damage, and riverine flooding in some catchments.

IMD issued low to moderate flash-flood risk guidance through 11:30 IST on July 21 for watersheds and neighborhoods in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, and Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi.

References:

¹ Press Release – IMD – July 20, 2026

² Floods, landslides across northern India kill at least 25 – Reuters – July 20, 2026.

³ 8 dead, 12 injured as landslide buries homes in Nagaland’s Mon – Times of India – July 19, 2026

Teo Blašković

I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.

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