SRINAGAR: Twin cloudbursts have wreaked havoc in the remote Margi village of Warwan in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, sweeping away homes, land and livestock in a fresh reminder of the vulnerability of the region to extreme weather events.
Officials and locals said flash floods and mudslides triggered by the cloudbursts washed away 30 houses, over 300 kanals of irrigated land, dozens of livestock and a bridge connecting the village with adjoining areas. Around 60 more homes were inundated by mudslides, forcing residents to flee to a nearby hillock for safety.
The Tehsil headquarters of Inshan and its surrounding areas also suffered damage, with public land being washed away in the floods. Due to the remoteness of Warwan and the snapping of mobile and internet connectivity, detailed information has been slow to emerge. Authorities said rescue and relief efforts were being hampered by the lack of proper communication and road access.
The latest disaster comes just weeks after Paddar in Kishtwar was struck by a devastating cloudburst that killed 65 people, with 36 still missing. For Warwan’s Margi village, it is the second major tragedy in little over a decade. In 2009, a massive fire reduced more than 180 homes to ashes, marking one of the worst disasters in its history.
Officials said multiple cloudbursts were reported from different parts of Kishtwar district on the same day, though no loss of life was reported elsewhere. Relief and restoration work in Margi is expected to be a daunting task given the scale of destruction and the isolation of the area.
