The death toll from days of heavy rain across Jammu and Kashmir has risen to 27 after a landslide killed seven members of a family in Poonch district.
Rajouri and Poonch are among the worst-affected districts, with flash floods and landslides damaging homes, roads, power lines and communication networks.
Authorities have suspended the Amarnath Yatra from both the Pahalgam and Baltal routes because of the weather warning.
The Meteorological Department has forecast more rain and warned of flash floods, landslides, mudslides and rising river levels in vulnerable areas.
The death toll from days of heavy rain across Jammu and Kashmir has risen to 27 after a landslide killed seven members of a family, including two children, in Poonch district, officials said.
The landslide hit a mud house in the upper reaches of Loran Dumilan village on July 20, 2026, trapping those inside. Police and civil administration teams, along with local volunteers, were dispatched to the site soon after the alert came in, and search and rescue efforts continued through the day.
Officials said all seven bodies were later recovered. The dead were identified as Zahida Begum, 38; her children Manan Rafiq, six, and Aleesa, four; her brother-in-law Tanveer Ahmad Bhat, 27; her sisters-in-law Shamim Akhter, 33, and Shabnam Bano, 31; and a nephew, Mohd Irfan, 17. All were residents of Arigam village in Mandi tehsil.
Poonch District Development Commissioner Ashok Kumar Sharma confirmed the deaths and said the bodies would be sent for medico-legal formalities.
The latest deaths come after two days of extremely heavy rain triggered flash floods and landslides across the Jammu region, with Rajouri and Poonch among the worst-affected districts.
Among the earlier deaths, six members of one family were killed in Rajouri after their home on the banks of the Suran river was hit by flooding. The river, which rises in the Pir Panjal mountains and flows through Surankote before joining the Poonch river, rose rapidly after heavy rain.
Rajouri MLA Iftikhar Choudhary said three people had died in Rajouri district and 15 in Poonch, putting the toll in the two districts at 18 before the latest landslide. He said several homes had been destroyed and that food supplies were being sent to affected areas. Rescue operations were continuing, while power had been restored in some places, although many areas remained without electricity.
Two further deaths were reported in Doda district on July 20, 2026. Officials said a boulder rolled down a hillside near Raggi Nallah on the Jammu-Kishtwar national highway and hit a passenger bus, killing Manish Kumar and injuring seven others. In a separate incident in Kashtigarh, a woman named Shiv Devi was killed after a stone fell on her house.
In Rajouri town’s low-lying Bela colony, along the Darhali river, floodwaters swept away about 30 vehicles parked overnight at the local bus stand, a police official said. Several nearby homes and shops were also damaged.
Residents said the floods had disrupted communication networks and power supply, with Surankote in Poonch and Darhal, Thanamandi and Manjakote in Rajouri among the worst-affected areas. Landslides and fast-moving water damaged mobile towers, optical fibre lines and electricity poles, cutting off several rural areas.
A police official said residents living along river banks had been moved to safer ground after a warning from the India Meteorological Department. Most were evacuated in time, the official said, but one woman was caught in the flood and died.
The body of Vikas Ahmed, who had been swept away in the flooding, was recovered from the river in Rajouri town’s Salani area on July 19 morning.
Authorities said water levels were now receding in some areas, but teams remained on alert because more rain and possible cloudbursts have been forecast until July 25. Residents have again been urged to stay clear of river banks and low-lying areas.
The rain has also affected other parts of the region. Flash floods in Kargil damaged homes, vehicles and farmland. In Gurez, multiple cloudbursts triggered mudslides, waterlogging and crop losses, adding to pressure on relief and repair teams.
In Ramban, police warned residents to stay away from the Chenab river after water levels rose downstream. Near Abdullah Bridge, floodwater entered a slum settlement, forcing more than 50 families to leave their homes. Police said residents near Tariq Bridge had also been moved to safer ground after several calls for help.
Because of the weather warning, authorities suspended the Amarnath Yatra from both the Pahalgam and Baltal routes on Sunday. A police official said pilgrim vehicles would not be allowed to proceed and asked pilgrims to move to the nearest camps and cooperate with police.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah cut short a visit to Delhi on July 19, 2026, where the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference had planned a protest demanding the restoration of statehood. In a post on social media, he said he would fly to Jammu to monitor the situation, while the protest would go ahead under party president Farooq Abdullah.
A BJP delegation led by opposition leader Sunil Sharma also visited flood-hit areas of Poonch and Rajouri to assess the damage.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Srinagar recorded 92.5 millimetres (mm) of rainfall in Rajouri over 24 hours. Poonch received 78 mm, Chahta in Jammu 59 mm, Katra 53.5 mm, Ganderbal 46 mm, Srinagar 45.6 mm and Ramban 45.2 mm.
The department has forecast cloudy weather with spells of rain and thunder across most parts of Jammu and Kashmir from July 20 to 23. Heavy to very heavy rain is expected in some districts, with extremely heavy rain forecast over Reasi and Udhampur during the evening and night.
Rain and thundershowers are likely in some areas from July 24 to 27. The department said heavy rain could occur in Jammu, Kathua, Samba, Rajouri, Poonch, Doda, Ramban and Kishtwar during the evening and night between July 20 and 23.
Officials have warned of flash floods, landslides and mudslides at vulnerable locations, along with rising river levels and waterlogging in low-lying areas. District Development Commissioners have deployed special teams to assess the damage and begin repairs in the worst-hit areas.