Jammu, 17 August (H.S.): Seven members of four families, including five children, were killed in two separate incidents of cloudburst and landslide in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir early Sunday, officials said.

The calamity struck Jodh Ghati village of Rajbagh and Bagra village of Janglote amid heavy overnight rains in the district, leading to increase in the level of water bodies and submerging many low-lying areas, they said.

The cloudburst in Kathua came three days after flash floods triggered by cloudburst struck Chisoti village in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir on August 14, leaving 60 people dead and more than 100 injured.Travel guides for Jammu Damaged road following a cloudburst, in Kathua

Officials said while five persons, including a man and his two minor sons, lost their lives in Jodh Ghati which was hit by the cloudburst, snapping access to the village and causing damage to several mud houses, a mother-daughter duo lost their lives in landslide triggered by rains at Bagra village of Janglote.

The Army has evacuated six injured persons to hospital from Jodh Ghati.

“Indian Army columns on the ground in Kathua – rescuing families, giving hope, food & care after the cloudburst,” Rising Star corps said in a post of X.

It was also shared pictures of soldiers evacuating the affected people to safety The officials identified the deceased as Surmu Din (32), his sons Fanu (6) and Shedu (5), Zulfoon (15) and Tahu (2), all residents of Jodh Ghati, and Renu Devi (39) and her daughter Radhika (9) of Janglote.

The injured were identified as Surmu Din’s wife Gogli Begum (26), daughter Nageena (3 months) and Habib Din’s wife Karoon Begum (26) and daughters Rafia Begum (4), Aisha Begum (6) and Parveen Akhter (8), the officials said.

Debris and mud accumulated in a residential area following a cloudburst, in Kathua

A video on social media showed a couple of collapsed mud-houses belonging to the victims with survivors trying to pull out a half-buried girl from the rubble and frantically searching fir missing persons.

The landslide triggered by rains also hit Changda villages under the jurisdiction of Kathua police station and Dilwan-Hutli in Lakhanpur police station area but there was no major report of damage.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar