Heavy rains wreak havoc across north, northwest India; at least 28 dead

New Delhi: At least 28 people died in rain-related incidents Sunday as heavy downpours lashed north and northwest India, causing landslides, traffic chaosand house collapses, as well as a dam breach which inundated several villages in Haryana. The Jammu and Kashmir administration said the annual Amarnath Yatra has been suspended after heavy rains in the Shri Amarnathji Yatra area.

This was the second straight day of heavy rains in the region with Rajasthan being the worst hit as the state reported 16 deaths over two days -- two on Saturday and 14 on Sunday. Its Karauli district recorded "exceptionally heavy rainfall" of 38 cm.

Nine people, including eight members of a family, died in Punjab's Hoshiarpur on Sunday as their vehicle was swept away by a overflowing seasonal rivulet. Heavy rains lashed central, south, southwest and east Delhi too, leading to waterlogging and traffic snarls on several road stretches. Officials said on Sunday a seven-year-old boy drowned in a waterlogged park in Rohini's Sector 20 the previous evening.

They said seven calls were received regarding waterlogging at different locations and four about fallen trees. Traffic was disrupted on the Najafgarh-Phirni road near Dhansa stand and Bahadurgarh stand.

Gurugram recorded 70 mm of rainfall during the day. Waterlogging was reported from several areas, including police lines, Bus Stand Road, Sheetla Mata Road, Narsinghpur Service Road, Basai Chowk, Khandsa, Sanjay Gram Road, Sohna Road and Subhash Chowk, sectors 30, 31, 40, 45, 47, 51, 22, 23, 4, 5, 12, 13 48.

These areas also saw traffic snarls with vehicles and pedestrians having to wade through knee-deep waters. Three girls were killed and one person was missing in Himachal Pradesh where landslides and flash floods triggered by heavy rains over the last two days led to the closure of more than 280 roads. Officials said 458 power and 48 water supply schemes are also affected.

Two deaths were reported from Uttar Pradesh's Jalaun as a woman and her seven-year-old son died after the roof of their house collapsed in the Koch area following heavy rains.

The India Meteorological Department said in a Sunday evening bulletin that "exceptionally heavy rainfall" was observed over Rajasthan's Karauli (38cm), heavy to very heavy rainfall was observed at isolated places over Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar too.

Officials in Rajasthan's Jaipur said the torrential rains created a flood-like situation in Karauli and Hinduan. Jaipur saw waterlogging at several places. Five people were swept away at the Kanota Dam in Jaipur and a rescue operation has been launched.

"Safety of all citizens of Rajasthan - our top priority. Today, a meeting of the officials was held in the Chief Minister's Office regarding the heavy rains in the state and necessary guidelines were given to strengthen all the arrangements related to disaster management immediately," Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma posted on X.

Till 5.30 pm on Sunday, Jaipur recorded 63.2 mm rainfall, Alwar 14.2, Mount Abu and Sikar 9 mm each and Fatehpur 6.5 mm. In Punjab's Hoshiarpur, nine people including eight members of a family died and two others went missing after their vehicle got swept away on Sunday by the flooded Jaijon Choe, a seasonal rivulet.

Eleven members of the family, along with a driver, were travelling in the SUV from Dehra near Mehatpur in Una district of Himachal Pradesh to Mehrowal village in Punjab's SBS Nagar district to attend a wedding, police officials said. As they were crossing the Jaijon Choe, which was in spate due to heavy rain, their vehicle got swept away, the police said.

Some locals had even warned the driver not to cross the choe because of strong water current in the rivulet but he ignored it and moved ahead, said police. Locals managed to rescue one occupant. A video of the incident showed that the vehicle was stuck in the flooded rivulet. Hoshiarpur Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal said a team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been deployed.

Senior Superintendent of Police Surendra Lamba said nine bodies, including those of five females, have been recovered from the rivulet. Rains lashed parts of Punjab and Haryana also. Mohali, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Rupnagar and Ambala were among the places that received rainfall.

Pathankot received 82 mm of rainfall, Gurdaspur 68.8 mm and Amritsar 57.6 mm in the last 24 hours which ended at 8:30 am, a meteorological department report said. Rains lashed many parts of Punjab and Haryana on Sunday, bringing respite from humid weather conditions. Chandigarh, Mohali, Ludhiana, Patiala, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Rupnagar and Ambala among the places that received rainfall.

Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, received 129.7 mm of rainfall, a meteorological department report said on Sunday. Several villages in Haryana's Yamunanagar district were inundated following a breach in the embankment of Som river.

The affected villages are Kanuwala, Bamnoli, Malikpur Bangar, Lalahadi and Manakpur of Yamunanagar district. Around 3-4 feet deep water entered Khanuwala village, forcing many residents to move out to safer places. Agricultural fields at many places were submerged. Officials said the State disaster response force (SDRF) has been called in.