J&K: flash floods hit Kathua, two girls drown; 2 rescued

Two girls drowned and two were rescued after being caught in a flash flood while crossing a mountain stream in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district on Saturday, police said.

The girls were returning home after attending school in the remote Nangala-Machaddi area, Billawar SHO Jatinder Singh told PTI.

The accident occurred around 4.30 pm when the four girls were swept away by a strong current following heavy rain while crossing a stream on their way home, he said.

A rescue operation was immediately launched, culminating in the recovery of the bodies of Monika Devi and Radha Devi -- both students of Class 6 -- and the rescue of two others, the officer said.

Singh said one of the rescued girls, Archana Devi, also a student of Class 6, was referred to the sub-district hospital in Billawar for treatment.

In another incident, a police officer said two people were trapped following a flash flood in a stream near Samroli in Udhampur district but were rescued by a joint team of police, Army, State Disaster Response Force and the Central Reserve Police Force.