DODA: Heavy rainfall triggered a massive landslide in the upper reaches of Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district on Tuesday, burying houses, shops and vehicles under mud and debris, damaging dozens of structures and leaving residents scrambling to assess the destruction.The landslide struck the Thathri area after intense rainfall that began around midnight.By early morning, thick layers of mud, rocks and debris had engulfed parts of the town, crushing parked vehicles and damaging several buildings.Residents woke up to scenes of devastation, with roads blocked by boulders and debris.Several vehicles were either overturned or buried, while locals climbed over mounds of mud and stones to inspect the damage.The Tahsildar of the area, Satish Rana, has said that after preliminary search, atleast 10 houses and 25 shops have been damaged due to the sliding mud and debris in the area“There was a lot of rainfall which started at 12 o clock in the night, late at night, probably due to a cloud burst heavy debris has come in, with people’s houses being damaged and muddy waters entering their houses. According to a preliminary count, around 10 houses have been damaged and 25 houses have been damaged,” Tahsildar Rana told ANI.Local residents said the disaster caused widespread property damage, though there was relief that no lives were lost.“I thank Allah that there has been no loss of lives, but there has been property damage. The government should assess the extent of the large-scale damage here.”Another resident, Shamauddin, said the rainfall intensified through the night before floodwaters and debris swept through the area around 3 am.“At night, after we had gone to sleep, and at 12:30 in night we woke up due to the sound of heavy rain. We kept on looking at the water flowing. At around 3 AM a flood came in and swept everything away. Some locals were thinking that they would be gone then. The condition was very bad then,” Shamauddin told ANI.He also highlighted how multiple houses and people’s cars have been washed away or buried under debris.According to him, only the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) has come to look at the area. He has also called for ensuring that relief is given to the affected people.“There are people who have lost so much, they don’t have blankets to sleep properly, atleast they should get some help,” the local said.According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Doda received 26.6 mm of rainfall on Monday, significantly higher than its normal rainfall of 4.1 mm for the day.Other districts, including Kishtwar, Udhampur, Reasi, Jammu, Samba and Kathua, also recorded large excess rainfall.(With agency inputs)
