Army Dog Squad Joins Desperate Search for Missing J&K Civilians Buried in Mudslides

 SRINAGAR: With no trace yet of at least eight people swept away by flash floods and mudslides triggered by recent cloudbursts in Jammu and Kashmir’s frontier Poonch–Rajouri region, the Indian Army has strengthened the ongoing search operations by inducting a specially trained dog squad.

The deployment of these highly skilled canines marks a crucial reinforcement in the multi‑agency effort, particularly in the search for a government employee who was washed away during the devastating July 19 deluge. Their induction brings enhanced precision and speed to rescue teams struggling against unstable terrain, heavy debris, and the lingering impact of continuous rainfall, officials said on Monday.

They said the highly skilled canine team, trained for locating missing persons in difficult terrain and debris-filled zones, was deployed to assist rescue personnel navigating treacherous slopes, unstable soil, and fast‑flowing nallahs. The missing employee, Abdul Ghani—a daily‑wage worker with the Jal Shakti Department—was inside a water pumping station in Rajouri when it was washed away during the sudden deluge. Despite the passage of several days, teams from the police, NDRF, SDRF, and civil administration continue to comb the flood‑hit stretches, now supported by the Army’s dog squad whose induction is expected to enhance precision in the search.

In neighbouring Poonch district, rescue teams have intensified operations to locate six other missing persons, all from Surankote, the worst‑hit region in the twin border districts. The missing include four members of a family from Lower Murrah and two from Sangla village, who were caught in flash floods and landslides triggered by a cloudburst. Multi‑agency teams are scouring riverbanks, nallahs, ravines, and debris‑laden slopes, while heavy machinery works simultaneously to clear collapsed structures, reopen access routes, and remove large volumes of mud and boulders deposited by the floods.

One more person is reported to have gone missing from a neighbouring village. Officials said the search will continue until every missing person is accounted for, even as the terrain remains unstable and prone to fresh slips.

The torrential rains of July 19 caused widespread devastation across Rajouri and Poonch, damaging roads, bridges, water supply infrastructure, residential houses, and agricultural land. The twin districts alone reported 22 deaths, most of them in Surankote, while five more lives were lost in Doda and Ramban. With several deaths reported from other areas including the Kashmir Valley, the authorities said that nearly forty people have died in the weather-related incidents including shooting stones hitting passenger vehicles. The scale of destruction has left several remote pockets cut off, complicating both rescue and relief efforts.

Meanwhile, the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway (NH44) faced fresh disruption on Monday after a landslide struck the Dewal area of Udhampur, leaving nearly 1,700 trucks and numerous passenger vehicles stranded between Udhampur and Banihal. Restoration teams are working to clear the debris and smoothen the severely damaged road surface, allowing vehicles to pass through a single operational carriageway. Passenger vehicles are being given priority, but authorities have halted the movement of fresh traffic from Jammu towards Srinagar, Doda, Ramban, and Patnitop until the highway is declared safe. Commuters have been advised to avoid travel due to the risk of additional landslides and shooting stones, with officials urging people to rely only on verified updates from traffic police channels.

The Meteorological Department has forecast another spell of heavy rain across J&K from July 28 to 31, warning of potential flash floods, landslides, and rising water levels in vulnerable areas. Peak rainfall is expected on July 30 and 31, prompting authorities to maintain heightened alertness as rescue operations continue across multiple districts.