Woman feared drowned; 3 rescued amid downpour in Pooch, Rajouri

Rajouri/Jammu, May 24 (PTI) A woman was feared drowned while three people trapped in flash floods were rescued in the nick of time as heavy rains led to sudden rise in water bodies in the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri on Wednesday, officials said.

Two women — Naseema Akhtar and Kulzum Bi — were swept away while crossing Betar stream in Poonch district late afternoon on Wednesday, the officials said.

They said while Akhtar was rescued by a joint team of police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Kulzum Bi (28) remained untraced.

A rescue operation is on to trace her, the official said, adding they were trapped by the sudden rise in the water level.

In Rajouri district, two men – Ankush Kumar of Rajouri and Sunil Kumar of Punjab were rescued by a joint team of police and SDRF in an hour-long operation after they were found trapped in flash floods in Darhali river near Tariq bridge.

Meanwhile, the civil and police officers in the twin districts issued separate advisories, asking people not to move close to water bodies, especially rivers, in view of apprehensions of flash flood amid rainfall.