Eight persons, including five of two families, were killed because of landslides, flash floods and house-collapse incidents triggered by heavy rain in Jammu on Wednesday.

Major roads connecting the Jammu region with Kashmir and the rest of the country were also closed on Wednesday.

The rain forced the Jammu and Kashmir government to suspend the yatra to the Vaishno Devi shrine through the new route. Officials said a flood-like situation prevailed in parts of the Jammu region including Kathua.

An official said two houses belonging to Abdul Qayoom and Mushtaq Ahmad collapsed in the Bani area of Kathua following heavy rain, burying the five members of two families under the debris.

The rescue operation was underway to find some bodies which remained trapped under mounds of mud.

Mudslides elsewhere in the district also killed three people, including a boy.

Rivers in Jammu were flowing near the danger mark after the region received heavy rain throughout Tuesday night. Flash floods destroyed several bridges, culverts and roads.

Officials said the Jammu-Pathankot road in Kathua was closed following a flood-like situation in Tarnah Nullah. The road connects Jammu and Kashmir to the rest of the country. The traffic was diverted through the border roads.

An Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) advisory said the Chadwal bridge on Jammu-Pathankot national highway was damaged.

“Due to the recent and continuous heavy rain in the area, we are sorry to inform you that the Chadwal bridge has been damaged. In consequence, this creates a potential threat to all vehicles and pedestrians trying to cross it,” the advisory said addressing the residents and passengers of Kathua.

Jammu-Srinagar national highway and Mughal road, which connect Kashmir with Jammu, were also closed because of landslides at multiple places.

The closure of the three major roads simultaneously has rarely happened in the past. Hundreds of vehicles were stuck on these roads.

Katra, which is the base camp for the Vaishno Devi yatra, in Jammu’s Reasi district was hit by massive rain. The yatra through the new route was suspended following the development.

Chopper service to the shrine was suspended but the pilgrimage through the old route was not halted, officials said.

Sub-divisional magistrate of Katra, Vikas Dubey, asked residents to stay indoors in view of the inclement weather forecast for the next three days.

Dubey said the area received a very heavy rainfall of 315.44mm in the last 24 hours. It was the heaviest rainfall in the region in at least four decades.