JAMMU \/KASHMIR, AUG 26 : Five people were killed and 14 others injured after a landslide struck the route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop the Trikuta hills on Tuesday afternoon, as relentless heavy rain continued to batter the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The pilgrimage to the revered shrine in Jammu and Kashmir\u2019s Reasi district was suspended following the incident, officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rescue operations are underway near the Inderprastha Bhojnalaya at Adhkwari, where the landslide occurred around 3 pm, at a point roughly halfway along the 12-km trek to the hilltop shrine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The yatra on the Himkoti trek route had already been suspended earlier in the day. Pilgrims continued on the old route until 1.30 pm, when authorities halted it completely due to torrential rain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Three consecutive days of heavy rainfall have devastated several parts of Jammu and Kashmir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier today, four people were killed in a cloudburst in Doda district, bringing the total number of deaths in 24 hours to 9. The sudden, intense downpour triggered flash floods that damaged more than 10 houses in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Network disruptions were reported across the region after damage to optical fibre cables at multiple locations amid the downpour. The Northern Railway has cancelled 18 trains to and from Katra, Udhampur and Jammu railway stations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Almost all major rivers and streams are flowing above or near the danger mark, submerging low-lying areas and roads. Authorities have urged people to stay away from hill slopes and water bodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Pahalgam\u2019s Betaab Valley, the Sheshnag Nallah breached its all-time record of 5.68 feet, rising to 6.02 feet. While the flood alarm level for the stream is 4.59 feet, the danger mark is 5.09 feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Officials warned that the water level in the Jhelum river could rise further by Tuesday evening due to the continuous rainfall. The sharp surge in the Sheshnag Nallah, they added, suggests a cloudburst or extremely heavy rain in the upper reaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, traffic along the 250-km Jammu\u2013Srinagar National Highway was suspended this morning as a precautionary measure after landslides and stone shooting from hillocks at Chanderkote, Kela Morh and Battery Cheshma in Ramban district. Vehicular movement on the highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, was halted at Udhampur in Jammu and Qazigund in Kashmir, officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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