Kashmir struck by devastating landslides

Ledhan village, India-administered Kashmir – Barely six months after devastating floods killed 250 people and displaced tens of thousands, the people of Kashmir face a new crisis.

Torrential rainfall over the past week have caused vicious landslides across the region, killing at least 16 people and forcing hundreds of families to evacuate, bringing the region again to a standstill. At least 20 camps have been set up and people have been asked to shift to higher-ground.  

In the village of Ledhan, 40km away from the capital Srinagar, a house collapsed while three families were asleep. Six bodies were recovered. Mudslides also reportedly struck homes in Chadoor, 15km away from Srinagar. 

In Srinagar, more than 200 people had to evacuate their homes as the Jhelum river burst its banks and threatened to destroy this shattered city. Residents could be seen fleeing at night, or trying to barricade their stores from rising water levels, barely months after much of the region was submerged by the worst foods in a century. More than a million people were affected by the floods in September, and around 180,000 houses were damaged. When the rains returned this week, Kashmiris were panic-struck.
 
They had barely recovered from the last one.