J&K Reels Under Monsoon Fury: 11 Lives Lost in Twin Cloudburst Tragedies
New Delhi, 30 August 2025
A devastating tragedy struck Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district early on Saturday when a house collapsed following a massive landslide triggered by a cloudburst, killing seven members of the same family. The incident occurred around 3 am in Mahore area, when heavy rainfall loosened soil on the hillside, causing debris and mud to bury the family. According to Waqar Yunus, Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Mahore, the bodies of all seven victims, including five children aged 12, 10, 8, 6 and 4, were retrieved after being trapped under the rubble for nearly four hours. Heart-wrenching visuals from the site showed villagers pulling the victims out of the debris after discovering the collapsed home in the morning.
In a separate but equally tragic incident, four people lost their lives while one remains missing after a cloudburst hit Ramban district’s Rajgad area around 12:30 am. Senior Superintendent of Police Arun Gupta confirmed that flash floods triggered by the cloudburst caused significant damage to a house and a school, while also disrupting daily life in the Natna area. Rescue teams are continuing search operations to trace the missing individual.
These two disasters highlight the growing threat of extreme weather in the region during monsoon. Over the past two weeks, Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a series of cloudbursts, landslides and rain-related tragedies that have claimed at least 138 lives in districts like Kishtwar, Kathua and Reasi. Expressing grief, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said he was “anguished by the cloudburst and rain-triggered landslides in Reasi and Ramban,” adding that he had directed officials to ensure swift rescue and relief efforts.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department has forecast heavy rainfall in isolated parts of the Union Territory between August 30 and September 2, raising concerns about further risks of floods and landslides in the coming days.
