11 die as rains wreak havoc in Himalayas

Relentless rain battered swathes of Jammu, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday, with floodwaters and raging rivers destroying infrastructure and killing Il people, while snow cloaked patches of the Himalayas several weeks ahead of schedule, as extreme weather crippled everyday life in the mountains.

- HT Correspondents

A landslide on the route to the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu killed seven people, with several feared trapped, and four people died as showers pummelled Doda district in the Union territory, said officials aware of the matter.

The mayhem prompted frantic rescue efforts across the states and Union territory, with army and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams helming relief operations in Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab.

Weather experts warned that the rains would subside but continue all week, as local officials evacuated people living along the swollen Tavi, Beas and Ravi rivers.

An interaction between a cyclonic circulation over Haryana and Rajasthan and a western disturbance was pushing rain clouds into the northern states and feeding these regions with torrential rain, said scientists.

"Extremely heavy rain will subside gradually after 24 hours," said Mahesh Palawat, vice president, climate and meteorology at Skymet Weather.

North India has been ravaged by rain this monsoon, with suspected cloudbursts triggering flash floods and mudslides across states, burying entire hamlets, snapping bridges and destroying roads, leaving people marooned and forcing authorities to airdrop supplies. Flash floods wreaked havoc in Dharali village of Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi on August 5, with just one person confirmed dead and several still missing.

Then, a flash flood tore through Chishoti village in Kishtwar district of J&K on August 15, killing at least 65, with many missing.