The number of fatalities from flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rain across Jammu and Kashmir climbed to 29 on Saturday, following the recovery of the body of a 25-year-old woman in Poonch district, officials said.
Search teams recovered the body of Khalida Kouser, wife of Yasar Iqbal, from Murrah village near the Fazalabad footbridge in Surankote. She had been swept away when devastating flash floods hit the area on the night of July 18, officials said. Her decomposed body was taken to the Sub-District Hospital in Surankote for identification by village lambardar Zakir Hussain. It was later handed over to her family for the last rites after completion of the legal formalities.
The recovery pushed Poonch district's death toll to 17, the highest among the affected areas. In total, 29 people have died in rain-related incidents across Jammu and Kashmir, with the Kashmir Valley accounting for two deaths in Bandipora and one in Budgam.
Those killed in the flash floods in Murrah hamlet on the night of July 18 included Noor Safia (59), wife of Mohd Latief; her son Sajad Ahmed (16); Haqnawaz Ahmed (11); Shahnawaz Ahmed (11); daughter Khalida Kouser (25); grandchild Sofian (2); and relatives Bano Bi (60) and Mohd Akram (7). Officials said seven people remain missing, with search operations still underway.
Of the 29 deaths recorded across Jammu and Kashmir, 26 occurred in the Jammu region alone. Poonch district reported 17 deaths, while two deaths were recorded in Bandipora district in the Kashmir Valley and one in Budgam. Seven people remain missing in Poonch and Rajouri.
According to reports, the death toll from extreme weather events in northern India, including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the northeastern states, has reached 70. Jammu and Kashmir has recorded the highest number of fatalities. Nine people were killed in Nagaland's Mon district, while one death was reported in Assam's Sivasagar district.
According to data shared with the Ministry of Home Affairs, weather-related incidents in Kishtwar district claimed between 25 and 72 lives annually during the 2010-2024 period. In July 2021, a cloudburst in Hunzar, Kishtwar, alone claimed 26 lives.
In 2022, weather-related incidents continued to claim lives in the district. The Amarnath cloudburst in July killed 16 people, while more than 40 were reported missing. In 2023, around 53 people lost their lives in weather-related incidents across Kishtwar district.
In 2024, the death toll from weather-related incidents remained within the range recorded in previous years. However, in 2025, the number of fatalities rose to nearly 200, making it one of the deadliest years for weather-related disasters in the region in 15 years.
The rise was driven largely by the Kishtwar cloudburst on August 14, which killed 68 people. A separate landslide near Vaishno Devi claimed another 34 lives.
Officials noted that Kishtwar and Ramban have historically remained among the most disaster-prone districts, recording 115 and 106 deaths, respectively, between 2010 and August 2025. The Jammu division continues to bear the brunt of extreme weather events in the region.
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