NEW DELHI: Heavy overnight rain triggered flash floods and landslides across Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district early Sunday, leaving at least four people dead and several others missing. Rescue teams have fanned out across the worst-hit areas as authorities step up efforts to trace the missing and assist affected residents.Officials said all four deaths were reported from Surankote tehsil, which bore the brunt of the heavy rainfall. Relief and rescue operations have been intensified to evacuate stranded residents, clear debris and restore access to affected villages.28-year-old woman, Nazia Kousar, died after her house collapsed in Noonabandi village, officials told news agency PTI. Her husband, Mohd Hafiz, and their three children, aged between two and six years, sustained injuries and were shifted to hospital. In Lower Murrah, a landslide struck another house, leaving its owner, Mohd Latief, and five members of his family missing.Elsewhere, a minor girl identified as Iram drowned in a stream at Marhote, while the body of an unidentified woman was recovered from a stream near the Dhundak Lathoong bridge, according to officials.Rajouri remained among the worst-affected districts. Officials said flash floods triggered by incessant overnight rainfall inundated low-lying areas of Rajouri town, forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate to safer locations.

LG reviews situation

Lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha reviewed the situation in the rain and flash flood-hit districts of Poonch and Rajouri, directing officials to ensure immediate relief and assistance to affected families. He said rescue teams from the civil administration, police, Army, state disaster response force and local volunteers were working on the ground, while all departments had been placed on high alert.Expressing grief over the loss of lives, Sinha said he was “deeply saddened” by the deaths reported from Poonch’s Haveli and Surankote areas and assured immediate aid for affected families. He urged residents to remain calm, follow official advisories, and said emergency teams had been directed to stay fully prepared for any further contingency.

Amarnath & Vaishno Devi Yatras temporarily suspended

Earlier, on Saturday rain-triggered disasters prompted the Jammu and Kashmir administration to suspend the Amarnath Yatra on both the Pahalgam and Baltal routes on Sunday after the India Meteorological Department warned of heavy rainfall across the Union Territory.The suspension came a day after four Amarnath pilgrims were injured when their vehicle crashed into a stationary truck on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway in Udhampur.Amid continuing monsoon conditions, the sub-divisional administration in Katra has also set up a monsoon disaster management control room to coordinate emergency response to flash floods, landslides, waterlogging and road blockages.According to an order issued by sub-divisional magistrate of Katra, Piyush Dhotra, the control room will operate under the supervision of Tehsildar Katra Jatinder Singh in coordination with the police, Public Works Department, health, power, Jal Shakti, municipal authorities and other departments.Vaishno devi yatra has also been temporarily suspended due to adverse weather conditions in Katra and the Trikuta Hills as a precautionary measure.