On April 21, 2025, in the Ramban district of J&K, the veterinarian was stuck in debris after heavy rain triggered a flash flood. Image source: Imran Nissar
On Monday (April 21, 2025), a landslide hit by the Jamu-Srinagar National Expressway closed the next day, and a senior NHAI official said the road cleaning operation at 20 locations could take about six days.
On Sunday (April 20, 2025) in heavy rains and Cloudburst triggered flash floods, hundreds of vehicles were trapped on the strategic 250km highway – the only all-weather road connecting Kashmir to the rest of the country.
Three people, including two little siblings, were killed and more than 100 people were rescued as natural disasters caused great damage to infrastructure, including roads and residential buildings. Many vehicles were buried under the debris.
“We are facing a challenging situation, due to the large amount of mud on the highway in over a dozen places, especially in the four-km stretch between Seri and Maroog.
He added that the agency’s main machinery, including Earth movers, was buried under debris.
“Despite our own limited resources available, we arranged machinery from private contractors and deployed them at the same time to speed up the recovery efforts,” he said.
However, Mr Kumar said the expressway could take five to six days to reopen traffic.
He added that the expressway suffered significant damage near Panthiyal and Kela Morh.
Meanwhile, stranded commuters, including two newlyweds, were seen walking to their destination.
“The road was destroyed (in many places). It was very bad,” Rajasthan native Devi Lal pti Ramban’s video.
Mr. Lar, accompanied by other members of his community, including women and children, said they were walking on a problem stretching exercise and boarding the bus to Chamu.
Jamna, holding a minor child on her shoulder, said the stones and boulders were still on the hills overlooking the expressway, adding that the situation was frightening.
“We haven’t had a meal in the last two days,” she said.
Zahir Ahmad and Zaheera Bano were wearing wedding outfits looking forward to their new life together, but it turned into an unforgettable journey as the newlyweds had to walk from the bride’s chenani home to the groom’s residence.
“It’s tiring, but to some extent it makes the day even more special,” Mr Ahmed said, adding that he hasn’t experienced this ordeal.
publishing – April 21, 2025 at 1:17 pm IST
