GUWAHATI/SRINAGAR: At least 25 people died in floods and landslides caused by torrential rain across northern and northeastern India over the weekend, officials said on Monday, with more rain predicted over the next few days.
At least 23 people have died and seven others are missing in rain-related incidents in Poonch, Rajouri and Doda districts since Sunday, while all major pilgrimages, including Amarnath yatra, Vaishno Devi yatra, Shiv Khori yatra and Machail Mata yatra, remained suspended for the third consecutive day due to persistent downpours, landslides, and the heightened risk of flash floods.
Authorities said the situation is being monitored round-the-clock, with district administrations, disaster response teams, police, and other agencies remaining on highest alert in vulnerable areas.
Despite rains, the rescue teams continued their search for seven persons reported missing in the worst-hit Poonch and Rajouri districts , where cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides have caused extensive damage over the past three days.
In the past two days, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has chaired back-to-back high-level review meetings to assess the flood situation, restoration works and relief measures across the Union Territory, reiterating that the safety and well-being of the people remain the government’s highest priority.
He directed the administration to act proactively, efficiently and with empathy so that no citizen suffers during this critical period, while ensuring speedy restoration of essential services, timely relief to affected families and effective preparedness to deal with any further weather-related challenges.
Meanwhile, oer 3.6 lakh people were affected by floods in several districts of Assam as multiple agencies, including the Army, carried out relief and rescue operations, officials said on Tuesday.
Train services remained affected for the second day on Tuesday as floodwaters inundated tracks in parts of Upper Assam, with the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) cancelling, short-terminating or diverting several trains and also announcing special trains for stranded passengers.
In worst-hit Sivasagar district, where nearly 1.58 lakh people have been affected, the Dikhow River flowed above the “extreme flood level”, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said.
Multiple agencies, including the Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and emergency services, joined hands to reach communities cut off by the rising waters.
Train services in parts of Upper Assam remained disrupted for the second consecutive day as floodwaters submerged railway tracks. The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) cancelled, diverted and short-terminated several trains, while special services were introduced to help stranded passengers.
Sivasagar emerged as the worst-hit district, with nearly 1.58 lakh people affected. The Dikhow River breached the “extreme flood level”, according to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), raising fresh concerns among residents living along its banks.
Across 11 districts, authorities have opened 101 relief camps and distribution centres, providing shelter to more than 9,600 displaced people. The ASDMA urged residents to remain cautious and avoid riverbanks as water levels continued to rise.
Floodwaters spread across roads, embankments and low-lying areas as several major rivers in the state continued to flow in spate. The affected districts include Biswanath, Cachar, Charaideo, Chirang, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Jorhat, Kamrup, Kamrup Metropolitan, Karbi Anglong, Nagaon, Sivasagar, Tinsukia and Udalguri.
The death toll in this year’s floods has climbed to 10, while two people remain missing in Charaideo and Karbi Anglong districts. History
In Upper Assam, army personnel have been deployed to bolster rescue efforts alongside disaster response teams and local authorities. Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said cabinet ministers have been stationed in affected districts to oversee relief measures, while elected representatives have been directed to remain present on the ground.
The flood fury has also disrupted rail connectivity. The NFR suspended train movement on the Simaluguri-Namtiali and Simaluguri-Selenghat sections in Sivasagar district due to severe flooding around Simaluguri town.
In the northeastern state of Nagaland, multiple landslides triggered by persistent rains killed nine people, and rescue teams have recovered four bodies, a senior district official told Reuters.
“Active monsoon conditions are likely to persist over northwest, east and northeast India during the next 6–7 days,” India’s weather office said in a post on social media website X.
In the neighbouring Himalayan nation of Nepal, 27 people have been killed, one remains missing and 69 others have been injured in floods, landslides, heavy rain and lightning strikes, since the monsoon began in mid-June, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said.
Several highways, including the one linking the national capital, Kathmandu, with southern plains have been blocked due to debris dumped after landslides, police said on Monday.
Nepal’s weather department forecast light to moderate rainfall across much of the Himalayan nation on Monday, with heavy rain expected at isolated locations in Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini provinces.