Jammu/Srinagar: The Jammu-Srinagar national highway remained closed for the second consecutive day on Thursday following multiple landslides and shooting stones triggered by relentless rain in Jammu region.
The rains, which have been continuing for the past five days, have left 26 people dead and many missing, officials said.
Rescue teams have intensified their search for the seven missing persons in the flood and landslide-hit border districts of Poonch and Rajouri, where additional personnel were deployed to scan flood channels and other vulnerable areas.
The 250-km highway has been blocked at five places due to landslides, shooting stones and road erosion at multiple locations between Jakhani in Udhampur district and Banihal in Ramban district.
“Jammu-Srinagar National Highway is still closed for vehicular movement due to landslides and shooting stones at several locations,” a traffic police advisory said.
Officials said restoration work was underway but continuous rainfall was hampering efforts to clear debris and repair damaged stretches.
More than 600 vehicles remained stranded at different locations, including Ramban, Nagrota, Jammu, Udhampur, Lakhanpur and Samba, due to the highway closure.
Authorities advised commuters to avoid travel until weather conditions improve and the highway is declared safe for traffic.
Besides the national highway, more than a dozen inter-district roads remained closed due to landslides, mudslides and road erosion. The Doda-Kishtwar road also remained shut, officials said.
However, the Mughal Road connecting Kashmir with Poonch district and the Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri (SSG) Road linking Kashmir with Ladakh remained open for traffic, although heavy rainfall continued along both routes.
The Meteorological department on Thursday said fresh rainfall was likely in Samba, Kathua, Udhampur and the Chenab Valley districts before spreading to parts of south Kashmir.
The weather office has forecast moderate to heavy rainfall till Thursday evening and warned that another spell of rain is likely to affect Jammu and Kashmir on Friday under the influence of an active western disturbance.
The pilgrimages to the cave shrines of Amarnath, Mata Vaishno Devi and Shiv Khori in the south Kashmir Himalayas and Reasi district have also remained suspended for the fifth consecutive day on Thursday amid heavy rainfall.
As a result, over 6,000 pilgrims have been stranded at various base camps and lodging centres in Jammu, Kathua, Samba, Udhampur, Ramban and Banihal, with security put in place along the highway to prevent any vehicle carrying pilgrims from moving towards Kashmir.
Officials said almost all rivers and streams were flowing in spate, while flash floods inundated several low-lying localities, damaging houses, shops and other infrastructure.
The Chenab river at Akhnoor and the Tawi in Jammu along with other rivers in Jammu region were flowing above the danger mark on Wednesday following incessant rainfall across the Jammu region on Wednesday night, prompting authorities to intensify monitoring and issue public safety advisories.
The prolonged spell of rain has also caused extensive damage to roads, bridges, power infrastructure and water supply systems across the region.
Rescue and relief operations have been intensified in the affected districts, with teams from the civil administration, police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other agencies working round-the-clock to evacuate stranded residents, restore connectivity and assess the damage.
The government is closely monitoring the situation, with restoration of essential services and relief to affected families remaining the top priority, officials said.
Many areas of Jammu and Kashmir have been lashed by rains in the last 24 hours.
According to the rainfall data, Reasi recorded the highest precipitation of 119.5 mm.
Katra received 97.4 mm of rainfall followed by Ramban (71.5 mm), Jammu (60.6 mm), Batote (60.4 mm), Udhampur (53.2 mm), Banihal (53.0 mm), Jammu Airport (42.6 mm), Rajouri (32.6 mm), Kathua (22.2 mm), Doda (15.0 mm), Bhaderwah (14.0 mm), Kishtwar (12.0 mm) and Poonch (11.0 mm).
In the Kashmir Valley, Qazigund recorded the highest rainfall at 73.3 mm, followed by Pahalgam (60.2 mm), Kokernag (47.9 mm), Gulmarg (39.0 mm), Sangam (37.0 mm), Verinag (35.3 mm), Awantipora (31.2 mm), Baramulla (30.5 mm), Kulgam (24.2 mm), Tangmarg (22.2 mm), Pampore (20.0 mm), Nowgam Handwara (18.6 mm).
Similarly, Ganderbal recorded 18.0 mm) followed by Shopian (17.0 mm), Lolab (16.4 mm), Srinagar (15.6 mm), Pulwama (14.2 mm), Wular (14.0 mm), Sonamarg (13.0 mm), Sopore (12.0 mm), Kupwara (6.9 mm) and Charar-i-Sharief (6.6 mm),
In the Union Territory of Ladakh, Leh received 0.6 mm of rainfall.
