New Delhi:
Residents in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ramban are assessing the damage due to landslides triggered by heavy hailstorm, with many saying they have lost commercial property and homes.
Three people were killed when their houses collapsed due to the landslide.
“I live on the other side, but even there, the flow of water was very strong, we could not make it here in time. When I reached here, I saw the whole market, including my shop, had vanished… This is the first time I am seeing something like this,” a Ramban resident, Om Singh, told news agency ANI.
Some houses damaged by the landslides were visible behind Mr Singh.
Ravi Kumar, a shopkeeper at Ramban, said he owned two shops, both of which vanished overnight.
“I had two shops at the market… When we got to know at 4 am that the whole market had been washed away, we rushed here to find there was nothing left,” Mr Kumar said.
“We didn’t know who to approach for help, what to do; we were clueless. These shops were our only source of livelihood. Now we have no shops and no land. I request the government to come and help us… It was a very scary sight, beyond imagination… We want our loans to be waived, we have nothing left,” he said.
#WATCH | Ramban, J&K: Om Singh, a local, says, “I live on the other side, but even there, the flow of water was very strong, we could not make it here in time. When I reached here, I saw the whole market, including my shop, had vanished… This is the first time I am seeing… https://t.co/aPfmXKXGjZ pic.twitter.com/VjIFqY4ySd
— ANI (@ANI) April 20, 2025
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ramban Kulbir Singh said all police stations have been alerted, and some 100 people have been rescued from Dharam Kund.
Sunil Kumar, a local resident, is devastated to find his new car was damaged by the landslide.
“I was travelling from Jammu to Srinagar. Since it was raining, I booked a hotel in Ramban. At 3 am, this incident took place. When I came out, I saw that two floors of the hotel were inside the debris. Around 15 people were there on the top floor. We rescued all of them. My new car is completely damaged due to the landslide… Around 8-10 cars are stuck under the debris,” he told ANI.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in a post on X said officials are in touch with the local administration to ensure immediate rescue efforts wherever needed.
Union Minister and area MP Jitendra Singh said National Highway 44 remains blocked due to the damage in Ramban. He said he is in touch with the deputy commissioner and relief is being given to those affected by the natural disaster.
Local officials said some 40 houses were damaged after a flash flood hit Dharam Kund village. Ten houses were fully damaged while the rest suffered partial damage.
More than 100 trapped villagers were rescued by the police, officials said.
Indian Army personnel are providing food, medicines, and aid to those affected by the Ramban flash floods.
