Clouds erupt in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal: 18 killed

- In five accidents of avalanches in the mountainous areas of the Himalayas

- Indus water level rises due to cloudburst in Amarnath, more than 60 vehicles stuck due to landslides on several roads in Himachal

Shimla / Jammu: In the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh, five cloudbursts occurred at different places on Wednesday, killing 19 people and rescuing 18 others. Several houses as well as a small power plant were damaged while standing crops were destroyed. President Ramnath Kovinde sent a message of condolence to the families of the victims of these natural calamities while Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was keeping an eye on the rescue operations at these places.

At least seven people were killed and 13 others injured when a cloud burst in an inland village in Jammu's Kishtwar district at around 6.30 am. The cloudburst also damaged more than 15 houses, 21 cowsheds, a ration shop and a bridge near the riverbank. A team of police, army and SDRF conducted a search operation in Honzar village of Deccan taluka to find 12 people missing after the cloudburst.

However, adverse weather conditions at these locations have affected rescue operations. The deputy commissioner of Kishtwar said the cloud had burst in the Lambard area. However, there are no casualties here. Forty families were evacuated from the Paddar area. The Army also sent two Army columns for the rescue operation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to provide all assistance to the affected. Union Minister Amit Shah spoke to Jammu and Kashmir Vice-Governor Manoj Sinha and DGP Dilbag Singh and reviewed the situation.

The cloudburst occurred in two different areas of Kargil in Ladakh. Clouds erupted at Sangra and Khangral in Ladakh, including a mini power project while more than a dozen residential houses were damaged, officials said. However, no casualties were reported in the accident. The cloudburst also hit the Amarnath cave area due to continuous rains in Jammu and Kashmir. However, no casualties were reported. The cloudburst has suddenly raised the water level of the Indus River.

At least nine people were killed, two injured and three were missing when a cloud burst in Lahaul Spiti at Udaipur in Himachal Pradesh. While two people were killed in Chhamb, said Sudesh Kumar Kokhta, director of disaster management in the state. Four people, including two women and her son, a hydroelectric project official and a tourist from Delhi, are suspected to have been killed in Kullu district, he added.

He said two tents of workers and a private JCB machine were stranded in the flooding in Tozing Nala in Udaipur. Twelve workers are also feared to have been affected by the floods. Neharaj Kumar, deputy commissioner, Lahaul Spiti, said an NDRF team had been sent to rescue the trapped workers. More than 30 vehicles were stranded on some roads due to landslides caused by heavy rains in Lahaul Spiti.