Jammu flash floods: Why are questions being raised about the Vaishno Devi yatra?

At least 41 people lost their lives in rain-related incidents after two days of relentless downpour wreaked havoc across Jammu and Kashmir. The worst tragedy was reported on the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage route, where a massive landslide claimed most of the casualties.

By Wednesday, rivers in both Jammu and Kashmir had risen above the danger mark. The record rainfall triggered a series of landslides and flash floods, toppling bridges and mobile towers, snapping electricity poles, and leaving key infrastructure badly damaged.

Amid the devastation, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah questioned officials over why Vaishno Devi pilgrims were not stopped despite clear warnings of inclement weather.

So, what went wrong? What did eyewitnesses see on the ground? How has the record rain disrupted the pilgrimage? And what are the key questions now being raised about safety? Let’s take a closer look.

Devastation on the Vaishno Devi Yatra route

On Tuesday, a massive landslide tore through the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage route in Jammu’s Reasi district, leaving scores dead and many more injured.

The tragedy struck near Ardhkuwari, a stop on the route to the hilltop temple, when huge boulders and debris suddenly rolled down, catching pilgrims completely off guard.

An eyewitness recalled the terrifying moments after a cloudburst triggered the slide.
“It was like a loud thunderclap or a bomb blast from above. The shed collapsed at once. First, the upper shed fell, then the second one, with a gap of about three or four seconds,” Ramesh Singh, a palkiwalla (palanquin carrier), told The Hindustan Times.

“There were about 35–40 people (in the shed). There was a lot of water. Some pilgrims were above, some below. I was injured. I had three boys with me; they went back, and managed to pull out four people from there. But soil kept coming down from above,” he added.

🚨BREAKING: Tragic landslide on Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrimage route near Ardhkuwari claims 5 lives, including a woman; ~14 injured. Yatra halted due to heavy rains.

Rescue ops underway by Shrine Board & NDRF. Prayers for the departed & swift recovery for injured. 😔🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/cU77LvmCPs

— Siddharth (@Siddharth_00001) August 26, 2025

There are two routes up to the Vaishno Devi shrine. While the yatra had been suspended on the Himkoti trek route since Tuesday morning, it was allowed on the old route until 1:30 pm, when authorities decided to suspend it until further notice.

Rescue teams are continuing to dig through mounds of rubble to look for survivors. By Wednesday, at least 38 people had been confirmed dead on the yatra route. Around 20 others are reported to have been injured in the disaster.

Among the victims were at least five children and eight women. The dead included four each from Punjab, Rajasthan and Delhi, and three from Uttar Pradesh, the outlet reported.

J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who visited a hospital in Katra to meet the 13 injured pilgrims, confirmed that a cloudburst had triggered the disaster.

Lieutenant Governor Shri Manoj Sinha today met the devotees injured in an unfortunate landslide incident near Ardhkuwari at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine who are undergoing treatment at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Katra and enquired about their… pic.twitter.com/uil1Sith1M

— Information & PR, J&K (@diprjk) August 27, 2025

“It was a heart-wrenching natural calamity in which we lost precious lives. We are providing all possible assistance to their families,” Sinha said, as quoted by PTI. He also announced an ex gratia relief of Rs 9 lakh for the families of the deceased.

‘Why pilgrims were not stopped?’: CM Abdullah raises questions

Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah, while expressing grief over the deaths, asked why officials did not stop pilgrims when there was a warning of the calamity.

“We had received the warnings about worsening weather days in advance. Why were they (pilgrims) on track? Why were they not stopped or put at safe places? We will have to talk about it later,” Abdullah told reporters in Jammu, where he has been monitoring flood mitigation efforts.

For context, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha heads the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, which oversees the pilgrimage in the Trikuta Hills.

Abdullah accused the administration of ignoring past lessons, recalling the devastation of the 2014 floods.

Posting photos of damage to the Tawi bridge in Jammu, he wrote on X: “Two photographs from 2014 floods & two from 2025 floods. Almost the same spot & very similar damage. What if anything did we learn from the 2014 floods? What corrective steps were taken in the last 11 years?”

Two photographs from 2014 floods & two from 2025 floods. Almost the same spot & very similar damage. What if anything did we learn from the 2014 floods? What corrective steps were taken in the last 11 years? What flood mitigation measures were implemented since Oct 2014? These… pic.twitter.com/EyYuY6xFkf

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) August 27, 2025

He added: “What flood mitigation measures were implemented since Oct 2014? These are all questions that the elected government will seek answers to because the last 48 hours have been a shocking eye opener.”

While announcing ex gratia of Rs 6 lakh for the families of those who lost their lives in landslides and floods, Abdullah also said Rs 1 lakh would be given to the severely injured and Rs 50,000 for those with minor injuries.

The chief minister also briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the worsening situation in the Jammu region.

Reacting to the tragedy, PM Modi had expressed condolences in post on X. “The loss of lives due to a landslide on the route to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Temple is saddening. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover at the earliest. The administration is assisting all those affected,” he said.

The loss of lives due to a landslide on the route to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Temple is saddening. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover at the earliest. The administration is assisting all those affected. My prayers for everyone’s safety and…

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 27, 2025

While CM Abdullah has posed questions, Union minister Jitendra Singh defended the administration and argued that the tragedy was the result of nature’s fury, pointing to what he described as the heaviest rainfall in “99 years.”

Monsoon fury in Jammu

The devastation is being driven by extraordinary rainfall. Jammu recorded 380 mm of rain in just 24 hours on Tuesday, the highest single-day rainfall since records began in 1910, according to official sources cited by The Indian Express. The previous record of 270.4 mm, set on September 25, 1988, now stands broken.

The relentless downpour has pushed rivers such as the Tawi, Chenab, Ujh, Ravi and Basanter well above danger levels, unleashing flash floods and landslides across the Union Territory.

The impact has been widespread. The school education department closed schools, while the State Board of School Education postponed class 11 and 12 exams across J&K.

Transport too has been hit hard. The Northern Railways cancelled 58 trains to and from Jammu and Katra, while 64 more were short-terminated or short-originated at different stations.

Communication networks were also disrupted. CM Abdullah then directed BSNL, Jio and Airtel to urgently restore internet and mobile services across affected regions, following which they were partially restored.

Rescue and relief operations are underway on a large scale.

According to officials quoted by The Indian Express, the Home Ministry deployed 17 NDRF teams, supported by the CRPF, BSF and other central agencies, to assist in both the Vaishno Devi shrine complex and other affected areas. Over 5,000 people have been evacuated from flood-hit low-lying zones.

The toll on infrastructure is immense, with key bridges, private homes and commercial establishments suffering severe damage.

On Wednesday, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha chaired a high-level meeting at Raj Bhavan to review rescue and relief work, restoration of essential services, and the preparedness of central agencies, according to an official statement.

The Meteorological Department held out little relief, predicting sustained moderate to heavy rain with chances of cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides up to August 27. Authorities issued advisories for citizens to avoid water bodies and places with the risk of landslides.

With input from agencies

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