Heavy rain on Monday (July 20, 2026) severely hampered rescue operations in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch and Rajouri districts, a day after devastating flash floods and landslides claimed 12 lives and left several others missing.

The fresh spell of rain began around 3 a.m. in the twin border districts and continued unabated till the last reports were received, making rescue and search operations difficult in the affected areas, officials said.

Swollen streams, slippery terrain and poor visibility hindered the movement of rescue teams, who have been racing against time to trace the missing.

At least 12 persons were killed in separate rain-related incidents in the two districts on Sunday (July 19, 2026), while the fate of seven people missing, including an employee of the Jal Shakti Department, remains unknown.

Police, Army, SDRF and Civil Defence personnel and local volunteers continued rescue efforts despite the adverse weather, the officials said.

They said the continuing rainfall has raised concerns over the possibility of fresh landslides and flash floods, with residents in vulnerable areas being advised to remain alert.

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The administration is closely monitoring the situation, the officials said.

The Meteorological Department has forecast moderate to heavy rainfall across Jammu and Kashmir till July 23, prompting district administrations to issue advisories urging people to remain vigilant and avoid venturing near rivers, streams, nallahs and other water bodies.

Moderate to heavy rainfall was reported from Jammu and several other districts, though there were no immediate reports of any loss of life or damage to property.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday directed all district administrations to submit situation reports every six hours until July 24 to strengthen monitoring and ensure a coordinated response.

He also assessed the administration’s preparedness to deal with any weather-related eventuality across Jammu and Kashmir.

Rajouri town was hit by flash floods following incessant overnight rainfall, forcing hundreds of residents to move to safer locations as floodwaters inundated low-lying areas, including the new bus stand early on Sunday (July 19, 2026), officials said.

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Dozens of vehicles were swept away or submerged after overflowing rivers breached their banks, causing widespread disruption, the officials said.

They said rescue and relief teams, assisted by the local administration, were engaged in evacuating affected families and assessing the damage, while local Congress MLA Iftkhar Ahmad said there was heavy damage to public and private property in the flash floods.

As a weather advisory warned of moderate to heavy rainfall across Jammu and Kashmir till July 23, the border district of Rajouri experienced relentless rain from Saturday (July 18) evening, leading to overflowing rivers and streams after a night of heavy downpour.

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

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

The flooding also severely affected the slum settlement near Abdullah Bridge, forcing over 50 families to flee as water inundated homes and surrounding areas.

Floodwaters also inundated the locality near Tariq Bridge, prompting the police to respond to numerous distress calls and assist residents in evacuating to safer locations away from the riverbanks.

“Our teams are responding to almost every SOS call. At this stage, our priority is to prevent any loss of life. While there has been significant damage to property, the extent of the losses will be assessed once the floodwaters recede,” a police official said.

Police teams were seen patrolled vulnerable areas, making public announcements and urging residents living along riverbanks and in low-lying localities to evacuate immediately in view of the lurking threat of flooding due to weather forecast.

The district administration has issued an advisory urging residents to remain vigilant, while the police have set up control rooms to monitor the evolving situation and provide assistance to people affected by the flooding.

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

“I have abandoned my party programme to stand with my people, as the flash floods have caused extensive damage to public and private property,” Ahmad said.

He urged the district administration to launch immediate relief and rehabilitation measures for the affected families.