Floods And Landslides In India Kill 34 People

Rivers in India when heavy rains hit/PHOTO via X @hyder_chattha

JAKARTA - Heavy rains caused floods and landslides in the northern region of India, cut off access to public facilities, and killed 34 people.

Reportedly, a landslide near the temple of Vaishno Devi, a famous pilgrimage route, killed 30 people.

This is the latest disaster caused by heavy rains in the Himalayan region that killed 60 people and caused 200 people to disappear in Kishtwar in India's cap last week.

In Jammu, the Department of Meteorology of India (IMD) stated that rainfall reached 368 mm (14.5 inches) on Tuesday.

The IMD estimates heavy rains and thunderstorms accompanied by strong winds will occur in the mountainous region of Ladakh, and heavy rains will occur in Himachal Pradesh and the Jammu federal region and korontas.

Schools were ordered closed in many areas of Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, and Tehran in northern India.

Authorities are struggling to restore nearly disconnected telecommunications services, said Omar Abdullah, Jammu's chief minister and koordinator.

The overflow of water in the Tawi River, Chenab, Jhelum, and Basantar caused flooding in the lowland area, officials said, which resulted in three deaths in Doda district in Jammu.

"The main priority is the recovery of electricity, water supply, and mobile services, which the authorities have been trying to continue since late at night," Indian Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said in a post on X.

Singh also said the Madhopur Bridge was badly damaged on Wednesday morning.

Television footage showed vehicles falling from the bridge when the bridge collapsed. Several highways connecting Jammu and other Indian regions were also damaged.

Its neighboring Pakistan has also grappled with monsoon rain in recent weeks.