Amid reports that there will be more rain on Wednesday and Thursday, six more bodies were recovered this Tuesday from the site of a building collapse in Budgam district in central Kashmir. This took the death toll to 17 a day after state administration declared floods in the state.

The bodies were recovered from the debris in Laden village in Chadoora of Budgam, a senior police official said, adding that one person who was trapped in mudslides was feared dead.

The deceased include four women, a man and a child, a police official said, adding efforts are on to identify them.

15 people were killed in the building collapse while two others were killed in flash floods in another part of the state, police said.

Over 320 families have been moved so far to safer places in the Kashmir valley after water levels rose in Jhelum on Monday, stoking fear among residents.

Central government had rushed eight teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to Kashmir on Monday besides granting Rs 200 crore as immediate relief. Armed forces and four helicopters have also been deployed.

Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi also arrived in Kashmir to monitor the situation on Monday, toured flood-affected areas of Srinagar and Baramulla and held meetings with officials of the state government, army and paramilitary forces besides meeting affected people.

He has submitted a report to the Prime Minister, giving details on the current situation.

Meanwhile, bringing brief respite to the residents, rains have stopped since Monday morning. The water level of the Jhelum has receded by six feet and is currently flowing below the official danger level.

However the MET has predicted a fresh spell of rain in the next two days raising fresh concerns among valley residents.

Even as authorities are monitoring the water levels, there’s a palpable fear among residents living along the banks of the river. A few locals that The Quint spoke to over the phone on Tuesday feared dark clouds over Kashmir valley were signs of heavy rains which could swell the Jhelum beyond the embankments.

(With inputs from PTI and Reuters)

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- Video: Govt Declares Floods in the State
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