03 March,2024 01:45 PM IST | Srinagar | mid-day online correspondent
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In Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district, a woman and her three young daughters, aged between two and five, lost their lives when their makeshift house collapsed due to heavy rains, officials confirmed on Sunday.
Phalla Akhter (30) and her daughters Nasima (5), Safeena Kousar (3), and Samreen Kousar (2) were killed when their 'kutcha' house in Kunderdhan Mohra village, Chassana tehsil, collapsed under the power of the downpour, injuring two elderly family members, stated a PTI report.
According to the report, Kalo, aged 60, and his wife Bano Begum (58) sustained injuries and were immediately brought to the hospital for treatment, as rescuers worked frantically to recover the dead from the rubble.
Meanwhile, heavy rains caused significant damage throughout the region, with many structures, including residential dwellings, bearing the brunt of powerful winds and hailstorms. Traffic interruptions ensued, exacerbated by landslides and road damage along the critical Jammu-Srinagar national route, prompting substantial rescue efforts and precautionary measures, a PTI report added.
The suspension of the 270-kilometer route, which connects Kashmir to the rest of the country, caused authorities to evacuate stranded travellers, including more than 200 tourists, to safer accommodations in Ramban district.
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) attempted to speed up the highway's reopening, but bad weather conditions persisted, with higher altitudes receiving additional snowfall, the news agency report stated.
Police control rooms were set up across districts to coordinate response efforts, particularly in flood-prone areas, advising locals to avoid swelling bodies of water and guaranteeing timely rescue operations for individuals stranded by mudslides or floods.
Amid the uncertainty of scenarios owing to excessive rainfall, the police, in coordination with the Disaster Response Team and Quick Response Team, are on high alert, a spokeswoman told PTI and added that these committed teams are ready to reach any place within 15 minutes.
The report further added that traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar highway has been confined to one-way since February 26 and was being used alternately from Jammu and Srinagar after heavy rains and snowfall damaged the artery road at many points last week.
