Massive landslide triggered by rainfall crushes petrol pump under its debris on Udhampur highway

August 25, 2025

Jammu: Rains triggered a massive landslide near Jammu-Srinagar National Highway in Udhampur, which engulfed a petrol pump located near Balinallah and brought it crashing down. The estimated time of the incident is between 6:30 pm and 7 pm on Sunday. Petrol pump owner Jai Pal Singh Jamwal told media that cracks in the hill caused heavy pressure and led to the collapse.

He claimed no casualties and said they had earlier evacuated all the material, people working in shifts had also moved to a safe distance, sales were stopped and tankers were stopped. According to him, some stock was still at the petrol pump and fire brigade vehicles had arrived at the spot.

Fire officer Suraj said the fire brigade rushed to the spot as soon as they received the call, and it was raining continuously. The hill collapsed due to the landslide and damaged the petrol pump, but no casualties have been reported in the incident; the landslide is still ongoing.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was assessing the flood and relief situation at Raj Bhavan in Jammu; state Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Union Minister Jitendra Singh were also present. Singh visited the hospital to enquire about the condition of the injured and praised the efforts of doctors. He said all the patients are out of danger and recovering, though he could not visit the spot due to bad weather.

The cloudburst had occurred during the Machhil Mata Yatra in Krishi on August 14 in which more than 60 people were killed and a flash flood hit the pilgrims. Relief efforts were being conducted by NDRF, SDRF, Jammu and Kashmir Police, CISF, Indian Army and local administration. Monitoring and assistance is ongoing for relief operations and control of affected areas.