New Delhi, Sept 24: Rains have wreaked havoc in North India with death toll jumping to 25 in incidents of landslides and flash floods being reported from Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana. The weather department has sounded alert with authorities deploying disaster response force to minimise the risk of further casualties.

In Punjab, six deaths have been reported so far, with an 8-month-old girl in Jalandhar being the latest victim. Three others in Kapurthala and two in Amritsar died on Sunday night. Floodgates of Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh Opened After a Decade as Water Level Crosses Danger Mark.

In Himachal Pradesh, five deaths were reported as the Beas river has overflown to cause floods in several parts of the state. In Jammu & Kashmir, the maximum damage to life and property has been reported in the elevated Doda district.

In Haryana, deaths have been reported in Karnal, Kurukshetra and Ambala districts due to floods, landslips and tree-felling.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has sounded a red alert in Punjab for Tuesday. The state government has ordered all public and private schools to stay shut in view of the flood warning issued by the weather department.

In Chandigarh, the authorities have opened two of the six floodgates of Sukhna Lake as the water-level has breached the danger mark of 1,163 feet. The decision was taken first time by the Union territory's administration after 2008.

Traffic was disrupted in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula due to water-logging across various parts of the three industrial towns. Train services were also disrupted as Railway tracks were submerged under water in some parts.

Amritsar-New Delhi, Delhi-Amritsar, New Delhi-Jalandhar, New Delhi-Intercity express were cancelled while Bathinda-Jammutawi and Jammutwa-Bathinda were diverted in the wake of waterlogging in Punjab's Amritsar district, the officials said.

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh chaired a high-level meeting today, instructing all legislators to remain in their constituencies and oversee the rescue and relief operations.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 24, 2018 11:15 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).