Jammu: 32 dead in landslide near Vaishno Devi shrine

Mangalore Today News Network

Srinagar, Aug 27, 2025: The death toll in the Vaishno Devi landslide has gone up to 32 with rescuers pulling out more bodies from under the debris, officials said on Wednesday, a day after disaster struck the route to the hilltop shrine in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district.

At least 20 people were injured in the landslide triggered by heavy, relentless rain and are undergoing treatment in different hospitals, officials said.

With fears that more people could be trapped, rescue teams are continuing to dig through the mounds of rubble to look for survivors. While 30 bodies were recovered from the debris, two of those injured died in hospital.

Weather officials forecast more rain and thunderstorms with gusty winds for the mountainous region of Ladakh, while heavy rain is set to lash the federal territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

At least four people were killed in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir after a cloudburst triggered flash floods and damaged several houses, even as authorities sounded fresh alert for extreme weather across the Union Territory.

“There has been considerable damage to residential structures and other property in several areas. The district administration is on high alert, and rescue and relief operations are underway,” an official spokesperson said. Hundreds of people were evacuated from low-lying areas.

Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar and Kishtwar-Doda national highways was suspended, and dozens of hill roads were blocked or damaged by landslides or flash floods, they said. Many trains to and from Jammu were cancelled, the officials added.

The winding route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop the Trikuta hill was a picture of devastation. 

Three relief columns of the army were mobilised in rescue and relief operations in and around Katra.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah chaired a high-level meeting on flood preparedness. He directed every department to remain in full readiness.

All government and private schools in the Jammu division were directed to close till August 27.

The rivers Tawi, Chenab, and Basantar overflowed beyond their alert levels, causing floods in low-lying areas, Jammu district official Rakesh Kumar told reporters.