J&K-Nagaland-Landslides : At least 16 dead, several missing as flash floods, landslides wreak havoc

Agency

Updated –

20 July 2026

3 minutes

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A drone view of a rural mountainous region showing a severe landslide that has washed away a section of a road and damaged houses below.

Torrential rains in two states, Jammu & Kashmir and Nagaland, resulted in flash floods and subsequent massive landslides, leaving at least 16 people dead (12 in J&K and four in Nagaland), while several others remain untraced.

The heavy downpour caused widespread destruction, washing away houses and roads, and severely damaging public and private infrastructure.

The devastation prompted J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to skip the National Conference’s proposed statehood protest in Delhi on Monday and rush to Jammu to take stock of the emerging situation and oversee relief efforts.

Abdullah reached the Civil Secretariat here at 6 pm and chaired a high-level meeting. The worst devastation was reported from Surankote tehsil in Poonch district, where most of the fatalities occurred, while rescue teams raced against time to trace the missing persons, the officials said.

“The rescue efforts are ongoing while all measures are being taken to provide immediate relief to the affected population,” Sharma, who visited various flood-hit areas during the day, told PTI over the phone.

However, a police official said one more body was recovered in the Surankote area of Poonch in the evening, taking the death toll to 10, while two persons, including a woman, lost their lives in flash floods in Rajouri district.

Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Abdullah expressed their grief over the loss of lives in the natural fury and assured rehabilitation of the affected population. Former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami also extended heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and expressed solidarity with all those affected by the calamity.

In the most heart-wrenching incident, eight members of a family were buried when their house on the banks of a stream came under a landslide following a cloudburst in Lower Murrah village of Surankote early Sunday, the officials said.

While the bodies of three persons, including a two-year-old boy, Sofian Yasar, were retrieved from the debris, a search operation was continuing to trace the remaining missing persons, they said.

Four members of another family were reported missing after their house was washed away by flash floods at Sangla village, the officials said, adding the missing persons include Abdul Hameed, his wife Sharifa Begum, daughter Areeba, and sister Manira Begum. The bodies of two of the missing persons were retrieved, the officials said.

A 28-year-old woman, Nazia Kousar, was killed when her house collapsed in Noonabandi village. Her husband, Mohd Hafiz, and three children, aged between two and six years, were rescued with injuries and shifted to a hospital, officials said.

Shahzaib Ahmad (22) lost his life when his house collapsed at Sanglani-Surankote, while a minor girl identified as Iram drowned in a stream at Marhote.

An unidentified woman’s body was also fished out from a stream near Dhundak Lathoong Bridge, the officials said.

4 dead in Nagaland while five people remained missing

Unconfirmed reports put the toll at 8

In Nagaland, torrential rain triggered flash floods and landslides that wreaked havoc at the district headquarters of Mon, killing four people and trapping several others under the debris, officials said.

The bodies of three women and a man have been recovered, while rescue teams are continuing efforts to trace the missing despite inclement weather and unstable terrain, they said.

In a separate incident, four people stranded in flash floods at Naginimora were rescued and admitted to nearby health facilities for treatment.

Rescue personnel from the district administration, NSDMA, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Nagaland Police, Assam Rifles, medical teams, and local volunteers are carrying out round-the-clock operations to locate those feared trapped under the debris, they said, adding that the death toll could rise as searches continue.