04/08/2026
SRINAGAR/JAMMU, Aug 3: A series of cloudbursts and intense rainfall wreaked havoc across several parts of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, leaving one woman dead, damaging roads, bridges and other infrastructure, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people and prompting the closure of the strategic Jammu-Srinagar National Highway as authorities sounded a flood alert in vulnerable areas.
A 52-year-old woman, Naseema Begum, lost her life after she was swept away in a flash flood triggered by a cloudburst while attempting to cross a culvert over a swollen stream in the Lolab area of Kupwara district. Her body was later recovered downstream near Shahabad, officials said.
Cloudbursts were reported from Batkoot in Pahalgam (Anantnag), Himli in Lolab (Kupwara), Arin-Dardpora (Bandipora) and other areas, while intense rainfall triggered flash floods in Shopian, Ganderbal and several other parts of the Kashmir Valley.
In Kupwara, a mosque and a footbridge were damaged in flash floods at Bi...