JAMMU — A precautionary step taken by Mohammad Latief to move his SUV to safer ground during heavy rain saved his life, but moments later a cloudburst reduced his three-storey house in Lower Muran village of Surankote tehsil in Poonch district to rubble, burying eight members of his family beneath the debris.
At around 3:30 am, as torrential rains lashed the area, Latief stepped out of his house to shift his vehicle away from danger. Minutes later, a sudden cloudburst triggered a massive flow of mud, rocks and floodwater, causing the house located on the bank of a stream to collapse.
Latief survived, while his elder son also escaped as he was away in Jammu at the time of the incident. The remaining family members were trapped under the debris.
As rescue operations began, Latief joined villagers and rescue teams in searching for his family members. Equipped with shovels and ropes, they continued the operation throughout the day.
By evening, rescuers recovered two bodies from the debris — Bano Bi (60) and two-year-old Sofian Yasar. Efforts were underway to trace the remaining missing members, including Latief’s wife Noor Safia, sons Sajad Ahmad, Haqnawaz, Shahnawaz and Mohd Akram, and daughter-in-law Khalida Kouser.
Mohammad Aslam, a relative, said Latief had left the house before dawn to move his Bolero to a safer location due to heavy rainfall.
“Latief went to a nearby relative’s house. His wife advised him to return only after daybreak to avoid the heavy rain,” Aslam said, while villagers performed the last rites of the two deceased.
Residents said the cloudburst struck suddenly, triggering flash floods and landslides that damaged houses and roads, leaving several villages disconnected from the rest of the district.
Meanwhile, in nearby Sangla village, Abdul Hameed, his wife, daughter and sister were swept away by strong currents following the flash floods.
A search operation by rescue teams led to the recovery of the body of one of the women downstream. There was no trace of Hameed’s house, which was washed away, while efforts continued to locate the remaining missing family members. — (PTI)