At least four people lost their lives and six others were injured after heavy rains triggered flash floods in Ghati village and nearby areas of Kathua district on Sunday morning.
Officials said the incidents occurred between 3:30 am and 4:00 am, following suspected cloudbursts in Ghati, a remote village in Rajbagh area, and two nearby locations. Access to the village was snapped as floodwaters surged through the area.
Rescue teams from the police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) rushed to the spot and joined locals in relief efforts. Bodies of four victims were recovered, while six injured were pulled out of the debris and rushed to hospital.
A family was also feared trapped under debris after a landslide hit Juthana Jod near Ghati around the same time. “Advance parties have reached the area,” said inspector Ajay Singh of Rajbagh police station.
District police chief Shobhit Saxena confirmed the deaths but clarified that it was a case of flash floods, not a cloudburst. “The Army has also been informed and is on standby,” he said.
Waterlogging was reported in Janglote’s industrial area, a Kendriya Vidyalaya campus, and even the Kathua police station. Railway tracks and several roads were also affected. Officials said flash floods were triggered by a sudden rise in the Ujh river, swollen by days of heavy rainfall.
Union minister Jitendra Singh posted on X that the administration, military, and paramilitary forces were coordinating closely. “The situation is being continuously monitored,” he said.
Landslides were also reported in Bagard, Changda, and Dilwan-Hutli villages, though no major damage was reported there.
This comes just days after flash floods on the Machail Mata Yatra route in Kishtwar claimed at least 60 lives. Security forces, led by the Indian Army, are still conducting large-scale rescue operations in the disaster-hit areas.
Kathua lies in the southern corner of Jammu & Kashmir bordering Punjab, while Kishtwar is located in the northeast near Himachal Pradesh.
