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.

Security forces on Tuesday (May 26, 2026) launched a fire assault on specific hideouts and inducted additional troops as the operation to track down terrorists believed to be hiding in the dense forests of Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district entered the fourth day, officials said. The assault was launched on suspected hideouts in the Dorimal-Gambhir Moghla belt of Manjakote area amid intensified efforts to flush out the terrorists, they said.

Encounter breaks out in J&K’s Rajouri during major search operations

Officials said plumes of smoke were seen rising from the forested areas following the assault, indicating that targeted locations were struck during the operation.

Security forces are also tracking blood stains believed to have been left behind by the fleeing terrorists after a hideout was destroyed during an assault carried out on Monday (May 25, 2026), they said.

Backed by helicopters, drones and sniffer dogs, joint teams of the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and paramilitary forces are conducting extensive searches in adjoining areas. The cordon around the operation zone has been further strengthened with the induction of additional troops, officials said.

More reinforcements have been rushed to the forests of Dori Maal in the Gambhir Moghla area, where the anti-terror operation is underway. Additional operational teams have also been deployed to expand the search area and intensify efforts to track and eliminate the terrorists, they added.

An encounter had broken out between terrorists and security forces in the Dorimal-Gambhir Moghla belt on Saturday (May 23, 2026) after a joint team launched Operation Sheruwali following intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists in the Singhpora-Chatroo area.

A joint team of the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) had launched a massive cordon-and-search operation in the area on Saturday (May 23, 2026) based on specific information about the movement of suspected terrorists.

The operation led to a brief exchange of fire after contact was established with the terrorists, prompting security forces to continue extensive searches in the rugged and heavily forested terrain.

According to preliminary reports, two to three terrorists, including a commander, are believed to be hiding in the area. The Army’s White Knight Corps had said that contact was established with terrorists on Saturday (May 23, 2026) in the general area of Gambhir Moghla during an intelligence-based joint operation carried out with the police and CRPF.