Flash floods hit J&K’s Rajouri town, hundreds shifted to safer places amid heavy rainfall

Rajouri town suffered flash floods following incessant rains overnight, forcing hundreds of residents to move to safer places as floodwaters submerged low-lying areas, including the new bus stand, in the early hours of Sunday, July 19, 2026, officials said.

Authorities said dozens of vehicles were swept away or submerged as overflowing rivers burst their banks, causing widespread disruption.

While he said rescue and relief teams supported by the local government were busy evacuating the affected families and assessing the damage, local Congress MLA Iftkhar Ahmad said the flash floods caused heavy damage to public and private property.

As the weather department warned of moderate to heavy rains in Jammu and Kashmir till July 23, the Rajouri border district experienced incessant rain from Saturday evening, July 18, leading to overflowing of rivers and streams following the night of heavy downpour.

All the rivers of Rajouri, including Darhali, Khandli, Suktoh and Jamola, are flooded and most of the rivers are flowing close to or even above the danger mark, leading to submergence of many low-lying areas, officials said.

They said the Darhali River breached the flood containment wall near Bela Colony in Rajouri town, causing floodwaters to gush into the new bus stand, where dozens of vehicles were submerged or swept away.

The flood also severely affected the squatter settlement near Abdullah Bridge, forcing more than 50 families to flee as their houses and surrounding areas were submerged.

Floodwaters also inundated the area near the Tariq Bridge, prompting police to respond to numerous distress calls and help residents evacuate to safer locations away from the river banks.

“Our teams respond to almost every emergency call for help. At this stage, our priority is to prevent any loss of life. While large-scale material damage has occurred, the extent of losses will be assessed after the flood waters recede,” a police official said.

Police teams were seen patrolling sensitive areas, making public announcements and urging residents living along river banks and low-lying areas to evacuate immediately amid the threat of flooding concealed by weather forecasts.

The district administration has issued an alert urging residents to remain vigilant, while police have set up control rooms to monitor the developing situation and provide assistance to flood-affected people.

Rajouri MLA Ahmed, who was scheduled to join his party’s protest in support of restoration of the state outside Lok Bhavan in Jammu on Sunday (July 19), returned to his hometown to assess the flood situation.

“I gave up my party program to stand with my people as flash floods caused great damage to public and private property,” Ahmad said. he said.

He called on the district administration to take immediate relief and rehabilitation measures for the affected families.