As many as eight shops were damaged after a portion of land subsided amid incessant rainfall in the Prem Mandir area of Chenani in Udhampur district along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, officials said.
According to residents, the incident occurred at around 2:00 am after torrential rain lashed the area. The heavy rainfall caused a local stream to swell, leading to soil erosion that triggered the land subsidence.
Several structures suffered damage, with eight shops sustaining extensive destruction. Fresh cracks also appeared in the affected area. Stocks and inventory kept inside the shops were damaged, causing significant financial losses to the local shop owners.
Fortunately, no one was inside the shops, as all commercial activities had been suspended due to the heavy downpour over the past two days.
Locals said the continuous rainfall has triggered widespread soil erosion and warned that the lack of preventive measures could pose a threat to surrounding structures.
The affected shopkeepers have urged the Udhampur district administration to depute a Revenue Department team to carry out an on-the-spot assessment of the damage and prepare a detailed loss report.
Several parts of the Jammu division have been battered by heavy rains, triggering flash floods, landslides and land subsidence, and causing damage to public and private infrastructure across the region.
Also read: Three more killed in Doda, Jammu rain death toll rises to 14
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