MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): Heavy monsoon rains and flash floods have caused widespread destruction in various districts of Azad Kashmir, resulting in loss of life and property.
A spokesperson of the Muzaffarabad district administration has confirmed that around six people, including children and three houses, were swept away into the drain due to a cloud burst at Narian Sarli Sachian in Tehsil Patihka.
SDMA official said that the people missing are members of one family and there are no chances of their survival.
The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) has said that the search operation is underway for their bodies.
Moreover, one woman, 26-year-old Misbah Ashfaq, died, whereas her sister sustained injuries due to drowning in the Nullah at Betran Ghanas village in Pallandri, while another woman, Akhtar Begum, lost her life due to a house collapse at Ayub Abad in Bagh district.
Deputy Commissioner Sudhanoti said that 34 houses in his district had been partially or completely damaged.
The district administration said that half of the RCC bridge installed in the Batdara drain has been washed away due to flooding in the Machiyara drain, affecting over 20,000 people of four villages.
Several shops, bridges, windmills, and houses were damaged or destroyed in various districts, including Muzaffarabad, Jhelum Valley, and Bagh.
“Eight shops have been partially affected, one school, and 03 water mills (Gharats) have been partially affected in Patihka Tehsil of Muzaffarabad,” the district administration stated. In addition, livestock have also been affected.
In Nar Dajian village of Hattian tehsil of Jhelum Valley district, three shops and a windmill were destroyed due to flooding in a drain.
The SDMA, in its report, further confirmed that three pedestrian bridges were destroyed and one motorbike was swept away in Lawat Nullah in Authmuqam, Neelum district.
Moreover, SDMA stated that 60 to 80 tourists stranded on the Ratgali Lake route in Neelum district were rescued.
More than 600 tourists camping at the lake’s base had been advised by the administration to remain in place, as the link road had been damaged by ongoing rains and flooding.
In district Poonch, 03 individuals stranded in the Chattra Nullah have been successfully rescued, while multiple individuals stranded in the river Poonch at Tattapani were rescued, according to SDMA.
“In district Bagh, 04 tourists, belonging to Jaranwala, Punjab, were rescued safely at Thaki.”
Many highways remained closed due to rain and landslides today. Muzaffarabad-Abbottabad road remained closed for two and a half hours due to landsliding at Lohra Gali.
Bani Hafiz Road and Hattian-Leepa Road in Jhelum Valley were also blocked at various places. Neelum Road was closed due to an overflowing drain in Seri Barian, while Hajira-Abbaspur Road in Poonch closed due to a landslide at Berry Mor.
In addition to that, the water flow in the Jhelum, Neelum, and Poonch rivers was recorded as higher than normal till 8 pm. The Muzaffarabad district administration has issued instructions to the citizens to stay away from the banks of rivers and drains.
According to the Meteorological Department, more rain and thunderstorms are expected in some areas of Azad Kashmir during the next 24 hours.
Rescue teams, including the tehsil administration, police, Highway department, and Rescue 1122, are working to restore communication and provide assistance to affected areas, district administration Muzaffarabad said.
Furthermore, the spokesperson stated that machinery has been brought to restore communication in affected areas, and search operations for missing persons will resume in the morning.
