Jammu, Aug 27 (IANS) Following the landslide along the route to `the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)'s Reasi district, the Ministry of Home Affairs has deployed 17 teams of the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) for a large-scale rescue and relief operation. A major tragedy struck on the pilgrimage route to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Reasi district on Tuesday when a landslide killed 30 pilgrims and injured 14 others, officials said. The National Disaster Response Force, along with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF) and other central agencies, is actively engaged in relief efforts.

A total of 32 special boats have been sent by air, along with the teams, to the disaster-hit region. The Home Ministry control room is monitoring the situation 24/7. Rescue teams rushed to evacuate stranded pilgrims near Adhkwari, while the Yatra has been suspended until further orders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha have also expressed shock and grief over the tragedy and have ordered all possible relief and rescue to help the affected pilgrims while expressing condolences to the bereaved families.

Twin cloudbursts triggered flash floods in the Margi area of Warwan Valley in Kishtwar district, washing away at least 10 houses, over 300 kanals of crops, livestock, and a bridge. Reports said water has entered around 60 houses, forcing affected families to take shelter under tarpaulin tents on nearby hillocks. With phone connectivity almost non-existent in the twin valleys of Warwan and Marwah, locals managed to convey distress messages seeking immediate rescue and relief assistance.

The remote Warwan valley, home to nearly 40,000 people across 50 villages, remained cut off from the district headquarters in Kishtwar. Residents are urging authorities to expedite relief and rescue operations. Authorities have declared a flood in the Jhelum River in the Valley as the river was flowing above the danger mark at Ram Munshibagh in Srinagar this morning.

In Jammu district, all schools, colleges, universities, training/coaching institutes and government offices except those connected with flood relief will remain closed today, the DM Jammu said in an order issued. Fibre services and landline services on state-owned BSNL were also down. The outage caused problems among people as mobiles showed no signal. Meanwhile, water levels in all the rivers of the Jammu division and the Jhelum River in Kashmir flowed above the flood level on Wednesday.