JAMMU, Jun 25: Nine men were rescued Wednesday in a joint operation by police and SDRF teams after they were trapped in the Tawi river following a sudden rise in the water level due to rains that lashed many parts of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
Heavy rains also disrupted traffic along Jammu-Srinagar national highway for over three hours this morning, while a couple of vehicles were also washed away due to overflowing of a stream in Rajouri district, the officials said.
Madan Lal (52), a labourer, had gone for sand extraction in the Tawi around 8.45 am but got trapped due to sudden rise in the water level near Jewel chowk bridge in the city.
He was rescued by State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel, who dropped a ladder from the bridge and managed to pull him out after remaining trapped for around two hours, the officials said.
Eight more people, including some who had gone for ‘pind daan (ritual performed after the death of a person)’, were rescued in a joint operation by police, traffic cops, SDRF and local volunteers, the officials said.
Several trapped horses were also rescued during the operation.
A traffic department spokesman said mudslides triggered by heavy rains blocked the Jammu-Srinagar national highway at Mehad and T2 tunnel in Ramban area around 6.30am, forcing suspension of traffic from both sides.However, the traffic resumed after the concerned road clearance agencies removed the debris within three hours, he said. (PTI)