Bufliaz (Poonch), July 23: Haji Latif spent 27 years working in Saudi Arabia as a labourer to build his dream home and secure a better future for his family, but a devastating flash flood in Poonch reduced everything to rubble in minutes.
He lost eight family members in the Sunday tragedy, including his wife, four children, a daughter and a granddaughter. Torrential rains triggered landslides and flash floods in Jammu and Kashmir’s twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri on Sunday, wreaking havoc, killing several people and injuring many, prompting a multi-agency rescue operation.
Now devastated, Latif’s only demand is to recover the bodies of his five family members who remain buried beneath the debris in the house in Murrah-Bufliaz village. Three bodies were recovered earlier.
With each passing day, the hope of recovering his family members’ bodies diminishes as landslides have hampered the rescue operation by blocking roads leading to the affected area, delaying the arrival of heavy excavation equipment even as search teams continue efforts to locate the missing victims beneath the debris.
However, officials said that because the road to Murrah hamlet is blocked in several places, the administration is working to restore connectivity and facilitate the movement of machinery, including JCB excavators, to clear the debris and recover the bodies.
Latif said that the house represented nearly three decades of his relentless toil as a labourer in Saudi Arabia.
“I spent 27 years working in Saudi Arabia. Every penny I earned went into building this house. Everyone in the village knows how much effort I put into it. It was my dream home. I had only two goals in life: To build a home and ensure my children received a good education. My eldest son was studying in Class 12 in Jammu. I wanted all my children to study and achieve great things,” he said.
Recalling the night of the tragedy, Latif said he woke up around 3 am after hearing heavy rain and became concerned about his vehicle parked near the stream, down the hill on the roadside. “I told my family I was going to move the vehicle. My wife handed me a torch, my shoes, a walking stick and the car keys. My children woke up and saw me off at 3:19 am,” he said.
After moving the vehicle to safety, his wife and children called him, urging him to return because the rain had intensified. “Around 3:29 am, I heard a deafening roar from the stream. I thought it was just the sound of the swollen water. I never imagined my house would be destroyed. We had never witnessed such devastation from rain or floods,” he said.
The deceased include 59-year-old Noor Safia, wife of Mohd Latief; 16-year-old son Sajad Ahmed; Haqnawaz Ahmed (11), Shahnawaz Ahmed (11), daughter Khalda Kouser, wife of Yasar Iqbal (25) and grandchild 2-year-old Sofian, and other kin Bano Bi, wife of Mohd Hussain (60) and Mohd Akram, son of Mohd Liaqat ( 7).
Latif said his greatest loss was not the house but his family.
“My family is gone. Allah gave the house and He has taken it back. I accept His will,” he said, struggling to hold back tears. He said he still believes some of his loved ones remain buried beneath the massive boulders and debris covering the site. “Three bodies have been recovered from here, but I believe others are still trapped beneath these rocks. Until JCB machines arrive, these huge boulders cannot be removed. If I can recover the bodies of my family members, I need nothing else,” he said.
Appealing to the authorities, Latif urged them to expedite the deployment of heavy machinery to the site.
