Rescue workers have recovered seven bodies from the debris of a house that got buried under landslide at Laden village in Budgam district due to flood in Jammu & Kashmir.

Deputy Commissioner Budgam, Mir Altaf said that seven bodies have been retrieved so far. Meanwhile two NDRF teams comprising 96 personnel reached Srinagar on Monday evening.

The state government, meanwhile, said the water level of Jhelum river which had touched the flood levels at Sangam and Ram Munshi Bagh is showing a declining or static trend.

“Water level in Jhelum which had touched the flood levels at Sangam and Ram Munshi Bagh is showing a declining or static trend,” an official spokesman said.

Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi visited Pattan area in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district to take stock of the situation in the wake of heavy rains.

“Naqvi, accompanied by state Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Sukhnandan and Minister for Technical Education Imran Reza Ansari visited several villages of Pattan and other adjacent areas to take stock of the situation which has arisen due to incessant rains,” an official spokesman said.

While interacting with people, the ministers assured them that necessary mechanism have been put in place.

Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir government sanctioned Rs 235 crore to meet the situation created by floods in the state, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed announced in the Assembly.

“I have authorized release of Rs 225 crore in favour of Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir and Rs 10 crore in favour of Divisional Commissioner, Jammu and SDRF (State Disaster Relief Fund) for rescue and relief,” he said while making a statement on the flood situation.

The NDRF teams deployed to the valley have not reached Srinagar due to a “technical snag” in the airplane. The team is waiting at Bathinda base for an airlift to Srinagar. Although the water level in south Kashmir has started to recede, water levels are still increasing in Srinagar and north Kashmir.

“There was a technical snag in the plane and we are yet to reach Srinagar,” a senior NDRF official, who is part of the team, told The Indian Express over phone. “IAF has called in another aircraft and we are expected to arrive in Srinagar shortly”.

Sources say that the NDRF team, after arriving in Srinagar, is likely to be dispatched to Budgam area, where 16 people are trapped after two houses collapsed due to slush coming in from the mountains.

Though it has been more than 15 hours since the rain stopped, the water levels in river Jhelum are still a cause of worry in the valley. The official figures show that the water has started to recede in south Kashmir, but is slowly increasing in Srinagar and north Kashmir.

The officials say that the water level at Sangam in south Kashmir was recorded at 21.70 feet at 2 pm – a decrease of 0.85 feet since morning. The water levels in Srinagar and north Kashmir, however, are still increasing slowly. In Srinagar, the water level was recorded at 19.70 feet at 2 pm, an increase of 0.60 feet since morning. The water in Jhelum in Srinagar is slowing at 0.70 feet above the danger level.

In north Kashmir, though the water level is still three feet below the danger level, it has registered a steady increase over the past several hours. The water level at Asham in Sonawari was recorded at 12 feet at 2 pm, indicating an increase of 0.59 feet. The water level at Asham is still 2 feet below the flood declaration level.

With weather remaining dry over the past 15 hours, the water levels are expected to recede in Srinagar too after several hours. The rising water in Jhelum in Srinagar, however, have inundated many low-lying areas of the city. At Hamdania Colony in Bemina, water from the flood spill channel has entered a large number of houses forcing people to shift to safer places.

The water level in Jhelum in north Kashmir, however, is still below the flood declaration level. At Asham in Sonawari, the water level in the morning was recorded at 11 feet which its three feet below the flood alert level.

Thankfully, there has been no rain for the past several hours in most parts of the valley though the weather is still cloudy. The Met office has predicted rains till April 4.

The incessant rains have triggered panic across Kashmir as waterlogging has closed many roads for traffic movement. The flash floods in rural Kashmir has also damaged bridges and road infrastructure and caused panic in the valley.