Poonch, July 20: At least seven people have died after a cloudburst triggered flash floods in Jammu and Kashmir's Surankote area of Poonch district, while rescue teams comprising the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) continued search operations for the missing on Sunday amid heavy rain across the Union Territory.

Confirming the death toll, Block Medical Officer (BMO) of Sub-District Hospital, Surankote, Mohd Yousf said, "Regarding the calamity and storm that struck the entire district, including Surankote, Rajouri, and the state, we have confirmed seven deaths in Surankote so far. We have completed the medical formalities for six bodies and handed them over to their families, while one more body, which we recently recovered, is currently being brought in. There are several people still reported missing; we are yet to ascertain the exact number. Rescue operations are currently underway near the stream."

As the rain-related emergency unfolded, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah chaired a high-level meeting at the Civil Secretariat in Jammu to review the situation arising from incessant rainfall, flash floods and landslides in Poonch and Rajouri districts, besides assessing the administration's preparedness across Jammu and Kashmir.

The meeting reviewed the prevailing weather situation, the impact of heavy rainfall and the steps being taken by various departments to ensure public safety, restore essential services and provide relief to affected families.

At the outset, the Chief Minister expressed condolences to the families of those killed in the flash floods and assured all possible assistance for relief, rehabilitation and restoration.

Stressing coordinated action, Omar Abdullah said, "Coordination cannot be emphasised enough," while directing all districts to keep control rooms functional round the clock, maintain constant vigilance and ensure prompt dissemination of information for timely response.

Meanwhile, speaking to ANI, SDRF ASI Zakir Hussain said, "The Army, Romeo Force, and Police have been engaged in this operation all along. The incident occurred at 4-5 different locations. We first went to the Mada side in the morning and recovered bodies from there. Then, upon receiving information about this location, we came here. We went to the spot where a house had been washed away into the ravine. The Indian Army, Romeo Force, and Police were all present there. As the in-charge of ERSS, I also received the information, and together, the Army, Romeo Force, Police, and our team, we recovered this dead body from the ravine and brought it up. The civilian public also provided immense help." (ANI)