Death toll in Kashmir flood rises to 15

SRINAGAR (India) — Rescue workers pulled 15 bodies from two houses hit by a landslide triggered by three days of incessant rain and floods in Indian-controlled Kashmir, just six months after the worst floods in half a century devastated the Himalayan region.

Police and volunteers working round the clock to clear the debris in Laden village in Budgam district had pulled 15 bodies from the houses. Searchers were still looking for a 6-year-old boy trapped in the mud, said Mr Fayaz Ahmed, a local police superintendent.

Although flood waters were receding, residents in the main city of Srinagar were bracing for more trouble as the meteorological office has predicted more rain over the next few days.

Many rivers in Kashmir were flowing above their danger levels in Srinagar, and residents were using sandbags to strengthen the embankments of the Jhelum River.

Hundreds of people were living in relief camps in schools and office buildings after the Kashmir government issued an emergency flood alert ordering people to move out of their homes in low-lying areas.

The flooding after three days of heavy rain renewed fears among the tens of thousands who struggled to rebuild after flooding in September destroyed thousands of homes and infrastructure worth US$17 billion (S$23.4 billion).

After many faulted the government last year for failing to anticipate the flooding and for taking too long to respond, Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday (March 30) dispatched a special team to assess the threat and to get relief efforts moving.

On the Pakistani side of the border, which was hit worse by last year’s flooding, authorities said the flood situation was improving although waters of the Neelum and Jhelum Rivers were flowing perilously close to the danger threshold.

“Both the rivers are still swollen,” said Mr Akram Sohail, a senior official with the government’s disaster management department in the Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.

Heavy downpours over the past three days have damaged several roads, disrupting travel between various cities, Mr Akram said. AP