Deadly floods batter Jammu and Kashmir, trigger evacuations in Pakistan
ays of relentless monsoon rains have unleashed deadly floods and landslides in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir
SRINAGAR/ISLAMABAD (MNTV) – Days of relentless monsoon rains have unleashed deadly floods and landslides in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, killing dozens and forcing mass evacuations across the border in Pakistan.
In Jammu and Kashmir, officials confirmed that at least 30 people were killed after a landslide struck near the town of Katra, while more than 3,500 residents were evacuated to safety.
The region has been inundated by its heaviest rainfall in decades, with bridges destroyed, roads washed away, and entire neighborhoods submerged.
Rescue teams, backed by the military and local volunteers, are still searching for survivors.
Authorities ordered the closure of schools, businesses and government offices, urging people to remain indoors as rivers continue to swell.
The extreme weather has also triggered multiple cloudbursts. On Tuesday, four people were killed in Doda district after flash floods swept through villages, destroying homes and roads.
Similar incidents in Kathua and Kishtwar districts last week killed more than 70 people, with at least 25 still missing.
The impact has rippled downstream into Pakistan. Authorities in Punjab province said some 150,000 people have been evacuated from the Kasur, Bahawalnagar and Vehari districts amid rising waters in the Ravi, Chenab and Sutlej rivers.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said the flooding was caused both by heavy rains and by water released from Indian dams after they reached capacity.
“Flooding in Punjab’s rivers is not only due to water released from India but also because of heavy rainfall in the catchment areas,” an NDMA spokesperson told Anadolu Agency.
New Delhi had earlier warned Islamabad about rising waters in the Tawi River — the first such communication since India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty in April following a deadly attack in Kashmir.
Pakistan has already been battered by a fresh monsoon spell since mid-August. According to the NDMA, nearly 800 people have died in rain- and flood-related incidents across the country since late June, including 406 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 80 in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, and dozens more in Sindh.
With more heavy rainfall forecast, authorities on both sides of the border have urged residents in low-lying areas to move to safer ground.
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