Cloudburst in Jammu kills 38, many pilgrims; rescue ops underway
Jammu just saw its heaviest rainfall since 1910—an intense cloudburst and flash floods between Tuesday and Wednesday led to at least 38 deaths, many of them Vaishno Devi pilgrims.
With 380mm of rain falling in just one day, the downpour caused major chaos along pilgrimage routes and hit local communities hard.
Pilgrimage suspended, highways shut; Omar Abdullah calls out officials
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha visited the injured and announced ₹9 lakh compensation for each victim's family.
The Vaishno Devi pilgrimage is now suspended, and main highways were shut due to flooding.
Over 5,000 people had to be evacuated by boat with help from police and army teams.
Communication lines took a hit too, while schools in Srinagar closed as rivers rose.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called out officials for not stopping pilgrim activities despite weather warnings, saying it's time to rethink how such situations are handled.