Cloudburst in Rafiabad: Stranded Maharashtra tourists rescued

A police team led by SHO Dangiwacha Inspector Sajad Ahmad, revenue officials and locals rescued the tourists and took them to safe destinations by guiding them through alternate routes.

Baramulla (Jammu & Kashmir): A group of tourists from Maharashtra were stranded in the Mundajji area of Rafiabad as flash floods were caused by a cloudburst in the upper reaches of Rafiabad in north Kashmir's Baramulla district on Wednesday afternoon. Locals said that the flash floods in the upper reaches of Hamam Markoot village of Rafiabad caused damage to standing crops and roads.

They said that a bridge was washed away in flash floods and the road was cut off at the Mundajji area of Rafiabad leaving several tourists stranded at the spot for around two hours. The Mundajji area of Rafiabad is a tourist spot and usually, both locals and tourists from across the country visit the place. "All the tourists were evacuated safely from the area and no loss of life was reported in the incident. The whole area has been put on high alert due to flash floods. There were around a dozen tourists in the area when the flash floods hit the area," said Sajad Rasool, tahsildar of Dangiwacha.

A police team led by SHO Dangiwacha Inspector Sajad Ahmad, revenue officials and locals rescued the tourists and took them to safe destinations by guiding them through alternate routes. "The flash floods turned the road into a stream within no time. We couldn't cross the road. We thank the Jammu and Kashmir police, revenue officials and locals as they saved our lives and evacuated us to safe destinations. However, our vehicles are still on the other side of the road," a tourist from Maharashtra said. The administration, however, advised the people not to venture out near Nallah Hamal as there may be a large discharge of water into the nallah due to the cloudburst in Hamam-Markoot Rafiabad.