Heavy rains: Two houses collapse, five buried alive at Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua

In the heavy rains that are lashing Kathua in J and K, two houses collapsed and at least five persons were buried alive under the debris, sources said. All the five bodies have been retrieved while search is going on for two other missing persons.

Kathua (Jammu and Kashmir) : Two houses collapsed in the torrential rains at Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua, leading to the death of about five persons. The incident came as a shock to the residents of Bani village where property was also damaged heavily due to heavy rains and landslides. The two ill-fated houses, owned by Mushtaq Ahmed and Abdul Qayum respectively, caved in under the impact of incessant rains in the Surjan Morha Aruad block of Kathua.

Tragically, five people, including children, were trapped and buried alive under the debris of these collapsed structures. The rescue operation teams, spearheaded by police personnel and local volunteers, managed to retrieve the bodies of all five victims. One of the deceased has been identified as Mohammad Arif, the son of Abdul Qayum. The authorities are getting confirmation of the identities of the remaining four dead bodies.

Also, search has been going on for two others who were missing amid concerns being expressed over their survival. The district authorities, led by SSP Kathua Shivdeep Singh Jamwal, and their teams are making efforts to find and bring the missing individuals to safety. A massive rescue operation is currently underway, aiming to reach anyone who may still be trapped under the debris.

The unfortunate series of events didn’t stop there. In another incident, a landslide claimed the life of Naseema Begum, the wife of Mohammad Rafiq, in the Mandhota Tehsil Bani area. Her body was later found amidst the rubble, adding to the grief that has gripped the area following the rain havoc.