Monsoon 2020 image: Bridge collapsed into a stream after heavy rain in Jammu
A portion of a bridge in Jammu collapsed into a rivulet after extremely heavy rain in the region on Wednesday. The strong currents of a swollen rivulet broke away half of the bridge. In a video, the massive concrete block can be seen dragged away by the overflowing stream. One person died in heavy rain Jammu for the second consecutive day, news agency Press Trust of India quoted officials as saying. Several 'kutcha' houses (mud huts) were washed away on the outskirts of Jammu as the water level in the Tawi river and other streams increased.
The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has been battered by heavy rain in the last few days. Landslides, flash floods and waterlogging have thrown life out of gear. Four people who had gone to the higher slopes in Reasi to graze cattle, on Monday, died after a massive landslide crushed them.
#WATCH Jammu and Kashmir: A portion of a bridge in Jammu's Gadigarh area collapses, following heavy rainfall in the region. pic.twitter.com/MPwTGefF8D
— ANI (@ANI) August 26, 2020
The 270-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway remained closed for the second day on Wednesday as heavy rain triggered fresh landslides at several locations in Ramban district. Road transport has been severely hampered since Monday.
The highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, was closed for traffic early Tuesday after a massive landslide badly damaged a portion of the road leaving thousands of vehicles, mostly trucks, stranded on the either side.
Jammu and Kashmir: 4 people were killed in a landslide in Reasi district on Monday
Senior police officer, Ajay Anand, told news agency Press Trust of India that the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is working to make the road motorable again. Restoration work is being hampered due to continuous landslips and boulders rolling down the mountain slopes.
"The men and machines are on the job to clear the road despite inclement weather but there is very little chance of traffic resuming today," Mr Anand said. According to the weather office, moderate rainfall is expected till tomorrow in most parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
(Inputs from ANI & PTI)
