Latest news with #Kathua
Arab News
a day ago
- Climate
- Arab News
Pakistan defends flood response after over 270 people killed in northwestern district
BUNER, Pakistan: Torrential rains triggered more flash floods in two villages in the Kathua district of Indian-controlled Kashmir, killing at least seven people and injuring five others overnight, officials said Sunday. In Kishtwar district, teams are continuing their efforts in the remote village of Chositi, looking for dozens of missing people after the area was hit by flash floods last week. At least 60 were killed and some 150 injured, about 50 of them critically. In Pakistan, authorities on Sunday defended their response to climate-induced flash floods that killed more than 270 people in a single northwestern district. Mohammad Suhail, a spokesman for the emergency service, said 54 bodies were found after hours-long efforts in Buner, a mountainous district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where torrential rains and cloudbursts triggered massive flooding on Friday. Similar cloudburst have also caused devastations in the Indian-administered Kashmir. Suhail said several villagers remain missing, and search efforts are focused on areas where homes were flattened by torrents of water that swept down from the mountains, carrying massive boulders that smashed into houses like explosions. Authorities have warned of more deluges and possible landslides between now and Tuesday, urging local administrations to remain on alert. Higher-than-normal monsoon rains have lashed the country since June 26 and killed more than 600. More intense weather to come? Residents in Buner have accused officials of failing to warn them to evacuate after torrential rain and cloudbursts triggered deadly flooding and landslides. There was no warning broadcast from mosque loudspeakers, a traditional method in remote areas. The government said that while an early warning system was in place, the sudden downpour in Buner was so intense that the deluge struck before residents could be alerted. Lt. Gen. Inam Haider, chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority, told a hastily convened news conference in Islamabad that Pakistan was experiencing shifting weather patterns because of climate change. Since the monsoon season began in June, Pakistan has already received 50 percent more rainfall than in the same period last year, he added. He warned that more intense weather could follow, with heavy rains forecast to continue this month. Asfandyar Khan Khattak, director-general of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, said there was 'no forecasting system anywhere in the world' that could predict the exact time and location of a cloudburst. Mohammad Iqbal, a schoolteacher in Pir Baba village, said the lack of a timely warning system caused casualties and forced many to flee their homes at the last moment. 'Survivors escaped with nothing,' he said. 'If people had been informed earlier, lives could have been saved and residents could have moved to safer places.' People still missing Idrees Mahsud, a disaster management official, said Pakistan's early warning system used satellite imagery and meteorological data to send alerts to local authorities. These were shared through the media and community leaders. He said monsoon rains that once only swelled rivers now also triggered urban flooding. An emergency services spokesman in Buner, Mohammad Sohail, said more than half the damaged roads in the district had reopened by Sunday, allowing vehicles and heavy machinery to reach cut-off villages. Crews were clearing piles of rocks and mud dumped by the floods. They were still using heavy machinery to remove the rubble of collapsed homes after families reported that some of their relatives were missing. In one of the deadliest incidents, 24 people from one family died in the village of Qadar Nagar when floodwaters swept through their home on the eve of a wedding. The head of the family, Umar Khan, said he survived the floods because he was out of the house at the time. Four of his relatives have yet to be found, he added. Extreme weather events Pakistan is highly vulnerable to climate-induced disasters. In 2022, a record-breaking monsoon killed nearly 1,700 people and destroyed millions of homes. The country also suffers regular flash floods and landslides during the monsoon season, which runs from June to September, particularly in the rugged northwest, where villages are often perched on steep slopes and riverbanks. Experts say climate change is intensifying the frequency and severity of such extreme weather events in South Asia. Khalid Khan, a weather expert, said Pakistan produces less than 1 percent of planet-warming emissions but faces heatwaves, heavy rains, glacial outburst floods and now cloudbursts, underscoring how climate change is devastating communities within hours. Thursday's floods struck during an annual Hindu pilgrimage. Authorities rescued over 300 people, while some 4,000 pilgrims were evacuated to safety.
News18
a day ago
- Climate
- News18
J&K Kathua Cloudburst LIVE: 7 Dead, Rescue Ops On; Amit Shah Assures All Support From Centre
Live now Last Updated: J&K Kathua Cloudburst LIVE: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah offered condolences and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured. J&K Kathua Cloudburst LIVE: As many as seven people were killed, several were injured, after a cloudburst incident struck parts of the Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir during the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. The cloudburst was triggered by heavy rain in the union territory. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also took stock of the situation and spoke to LG Manoj Sinha. He informed that relief and rescue operations are being carried out by the local administration and NDRF teams have also been rushed to the site. The Home Minister assured all the support from the Modi government. Meanwhile, in the wake of the recent cloudburst in Kathua, the government has announced ex gratia assistance from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, in addition to support under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), to aid those affected. As part of the relief package, Rs 2 lakh will be provided to the next of kin of each deceased, Rs 1 lakh to those severely injured, and Rs 50,000 to individuals with minor injuries. Aug 17, 2025 13:34 IST Kathua Cloudburst LIVE: Flash Flood Alert Issued for 10 Districts in Jammu & Kashmir The Jammu and Kashmir Government has issued a flash flood alert with medium intensity, warning of low to moderate flash flood risk in 10 districts across the Union Territory. The alert, issued at 09:15 AM on August 17, remains in effect until the morning of August 18. The affected districts include Doda, Jammu, Kathua, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri, Ramban, Reasi, Samba, and Udhampur. Authorities have cautioned residents about the risk of runoff and inundation in saturated or low-lying areas, advising everyone to stay alert and take necessary precautions. In case of emergencies, citizens are urged to dial 112 for assistance. The alert was issued by JKUTDMA (Jammu & Kashmir Union Territory Disaster Management Authority).
United News of India
22-07-2025
- Politics
- United News of India
SC ashamed over rising crimes against women; Seeks concrete solutions beyond symbolism
New Delhi, July 22 (UNI) Expressing deep anguish over the rising incidents of brutal violence against women, the Supreme Court today remarked that it feels "ashamed" to hear frequent cases of assaults, including recent incidents where women were burnt alive. A bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was hearing a writ petition filed by the Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association seeking Pan-India Safety Guidelines to protect women, alongside reforms including mandatory chemical castration of sexual offenders upon arrest, immediate polygraph tests, life imprisonment, and permanent castration in cases of heinous rape and murder. The petition also demanded setting up a National Sex Offenders Registry accessible to all women. During the hearing, Senior Advocate Mahalakshmi Pavani highlighted that only two days ago, a girl was burnt alive. Justice Kant responded, 'We are equally concerned… so many voiceless people in remote areas suffer. Wide publicity may not work out for them. Let's accept these ground realities.' The Court, however, adjourned the matter to Thursday after noting that the Union Government's counter-affidavit was not on record. It urged Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati to treat the issue not as adversarial litigation but as a collective challenge requiring both long-term and short-term solutions. Justice Kant observed, 'Just examine possible solutions… comprehensive directions that can create real impact. Only when tragedy strikes do we wake up. This is what is inherently wrong in the system.' He suggested appointing educated villagers as paralegal workers to bridge justice accessibility gaps, especially when ASG Bhati informed the Court about existing One Stop Centres in every district. Justice Kant proposed that women elected as sarpanch under Panchayat reservation could also be empowered to act as paralegal workers. The petition invoked the doctrine of parens patriae for the Court to safeguard the fundamental rights of women, children, and the third gender. It stated that despite stringent laws after the JS Verma Committee recommendations in 2013, heinous cases like Unnao, Kathua, and Hathras continue to occur due to police and administrative apathy, corruption, and lack of implementation. 'Parliament has passed strict laws but without effective and timely implementation, criminals have no fear,' the plea said, urging the Court to issue strict, time-bound guidelines to prevent such crimes. UNI SNG RN
Hindustan Times
04-06-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
HC for compulsory retirement of Punjab judge who presided over Kathua trial
The Punjab and Haryana high court is learnt to have recommended compulsory retirement of a district and sessions judge, Tejwinder Singh, a Punjab cadre officer, who conducted a trial in the gangrape and murder of an eight-year-old Kathua girl. The full court of the high court, which met last week before the commencement of the summer holidays, took the decision in the meeting chaired by chief justice Sheel Nagu after an internal probe indicted the judge in a case of allegedly 'accepting favours and misconduct', multiple sources confirmed. It is learnt an internal probe was initiated in 2020 after complaints of accepting 'favours from litigants' and allegations of 'lavish expenses' on the construction of a house. Upon the high court's recommendation, a formal notification is issued by the state government. Singh conducted the trial in the infamous Kathua rape and murder case of a Bakarwal minor girl reported in January 2018 in Jammu. It was transferred to Pathankot on apex court intervention and in June 2019, Singh, then a district and sessions judge, Pathankot, had convicted six men in the case observing that 'strained relation between the local Hindu community and nomadic Bakarwal Muslims was a strong motive behind the rape and murder.' His last posting was as presiding officer, industrial tribunal in Patiala—a low-key post. However, now judicial work has been withdrawn from him. Singh had joined the Punjab judicial service in 1991 at the age of 23 and figured in the 1993 edition of the Limca Book of Records as India's youngest magistrate. In the seniority list of the state's superior judicial service, he figured at serial number two.
