Five people have died and another nine have been injured after a landslide in the Doda District of Jammu and Kashmir State, India, on Wednesday 24 April 2019. The incident happened on the road between Gandoh and Thathri, with all of those killed or injured travelling in a minibus that was hit by a large boulder. The dead have been named as Mansoor Ahmad and his wife Gulshan, Mudasir Ahmad, Kamlesh Devi and Shakeela Begum. The incident comes following days of heavy rain in the area, probably associated with exceptionally hot weather conditions over the Indian Ocean, leading to high precipitation in areas of the Himalayas normally dry at this time of year. Landslides
are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess pore water
pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to
flow like liquids. Approximately 90% of all landslides are caused by
heavy rainfall.
Vehicle hit by a large rock during a landslide in Doda District, Jammu and Kashmir, on Wednesday 24 April 2019. Daily Excelsior.
The
Jammu and Kashmir region is extremely prone to landslides, due to a
number of active faults in the area, these being driven by the northward
movement of the Indian Plate, which is pushing into Eurasia at a rate
of 40 mm a year. This causes earthquakes on both plates, as well as the
folding and uplift that has created the Himalayas and the Tibetan
Plateau. Typically this is more of a problem in the monsoon season in
July and August, when rainfall often exceeds 650 mm per month in many
areas, though landslips can occur all year round.
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