Schools to remain shut across Jammu Division today
Jammu, Aug 18: Two more bodies were recovered from the debris in cloudburst-hit village of Chisoti in Kishtwar district, taking the death toll in the natural calamity to 63, as a large-scale search continued for the fifth day on Monday despite intermittent rains.
The Lieutenant Governor administration has deployed 10 senior IAS and IPS officers to supervise relief and rescue operations, even as all education institutes in the Jammu division would remain closed on Tuesday in view of the weather department warning of heavy rains in 10 districts of the region.
Donning rain coats, the rescue teams were working at multiple locations, especially the major impact spot near a langar (community kitchen) site, sifting through the rubble using machinery, including earth movers, and sniffer dogs.
Two bodies, one of them of a woman, were recovered this afternoon, the officials said, adding that the woman’s body was found downstream in a gorge near Kukundra village, while the other body was found buried near a temple.
With the recovery of the two bodies, the death toll in the flash floods triggered by the cloudburst on August 14 in Chisoti, the last motorable village en route to the Machail Mata temple, has risen to 63. The dead included three CISF personnel and one Special Police Officer.
A total of 167 persons were rescued, while the number of missing has dropped to 39 after a fresh revision of the list this morning, the officials said.
Army’s Jammu-based White Knight Corps, in a post on X, said five relief columns of the force are engaged in the rescue and relief operations and efforts have been further intensified with additional medical teams deployed.
“Despite adverse terrain and weather, a bridge over Chisoti Nala was completed on August 17, expediting relief and evacuation. Additional equipment is being moved forward to strengthen operations and senior Army functionaries are on ground to oversee relief and rescue,” the army said, adding close coordination with civil agencies continues to expedite relief efforts.
The flash-floods triggered by the cloudburst left a trail of destruction, flattening a makeshift market, a langar site for the annual Machail Mata yatra, damaging 16 houses and government buildings, three temples, four water mills and a 30-metre-long bridge, besides over a dozen vehicles.
“Today is the fifth day of the operation, and combined efforts are underway to recover the mortal remains of the missing persons. The weather is challenging in view of the rain. We also have a warning (of heavy rains) for the day, but still we are trying our best,” a CISF officer said.
The joint teams of police, army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), CISF, Border Roads Organisation (BRO), civil administration, and local volunteers are engaged in the rescue efforts.
Army engineers on Sunday built a Bailey bridge over Chisoti nullah, providing much-needed connectivity to the village and the Machail Mata shrine. The Army has also inducted a couple of all-terrain vehicles as part of the efforts to intensify the rescue and relief operation, officials said.
The rescuers conducted half a dozen controlled explosions over the last two days to blow up giant boulders hampering the search.
The annual Machail Mata yatra, which began on July 25 and was scheduled to conclude on September 5, remained suspended for the fifth consecutive day on Sunday. However, authorities have decided to allow a group of devotees carrying ‘Charri’ from Jammu.
The 8.5-km trek to the 9,500-foot-high shrine starts from Chisoti, located about 90 km from Kishtwar town.
The rescuers are utilising over a dozen earth-movers and other heavy equipment, while the NDRF mobilised its resources, including dog squads, to speed up the rescue operation.
Additional Director General of CISF Sudhir Kumar on Monday visited Chisoti to oversee the ongoing rescue operation and lauded his personnel for saving lives.
He said three of the force personnel lost their lives and another is still missing in the natural calamity which struck the village on August 14.
“We had a deployment of 25 personnel in the village (to provide security to pilgrims visiting Machail Mata shrine) when the tragedy struck, also impacting one of our barracks. I was told by the jawans that the cloudburst only lasted 18 seconds but brought down the hill, burying everything which came in the way,” the ADG of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) told reporters here.
In addition to the three personnel who lost their lives, another identified as Mura is still missing, he said.
“When some of our people were able to save themselves from the impact, they came running to and rescued many women and children from the rubble and sent them to hospital in private vehicles. They were the first respondents to the tragedy,” he said
The officer said one-and-a-half company strength, comprising 150 personnel, were also rushed from Kishtwar and Dul Hasti power project locations to assist other agencies and civil administration in the rescue efforts.
Asked about the weapons of the jawans, he said by and large all the weapons are intact. “It is difficult to verify the stock but once the stock verification is done the reality will emerge and any shortcoming will be addressed.”
“CISF is always prepared to face any type of challenge. Our men met the challenge in a professional manner and their dedication and determination shows how well trained they are,” the ADG said.
Talking about the ongoing rescue operation, he said, “I have been told that there is a plan for blasting to go deep, as far as possible. There are about 20-22 JCBs working on the ground on war footing.”
Meanwhile, the Lieutenant Governoror administration on Monday deployed 10 senior IAS and IPS officers to supervise relief and rescue operations in the cloudburst-hit Chisoti village.
“In order to supervise relief and rescue operations in response to the recent tragic cloudburst, the officers, as per the roster, are hereby deputed to Chisoti in district Kishtwar,” read an order issued by Commissioner-Secretary to the Government M Raju.
The officers will be deployed in the hamlet for the next eight days, with one IAS and one IPS officer overseeing operations for two days each.
Principal Secretary Home, Chandraker Bharti, and Inspector General of Police (Operations & Services) Uttam Chand will supervise operations on August 19 and 20, followed by Principal Secretary Anil Kumar Singh and IGP Sujit Kumar on August 21 and 22.
Financial Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary Shaleen Kabra and IGP Suleman Chaudhary will be deployed on August 23 and 24, followed by Secretary Shahid Iqbal Choudhary and IGP Vivek Gupta on August 25 and 26.
Also, all education institutes in the Jammu division would remain closed on Tuesday in view of inclement weather, the local administration said on Monday.
This has been done in view of the weather department’s warning of heavy rains in 10 districts of the region.
Heavy rains lashed several districts, triggering flash floods and landslides, causing damage to several houses and roads, although there were no casualties in the region on Monday. Schools remained shut due to the inclement weather.
As many as 68 people lost their lives and 122 suffered injuries in three cloudbursts in the Chishoti village of Kishtwar district, besides Jodh Ghati and Janglote areas of Kathua district in the past five days.
“In view of the inclement and bad weather conditions, it is hereby ordered that all government as well as private Schools of the Jammu division shall continue to remain closed till tomorrow,” the Director of School Education said in an order here.
The Meteorological Department had issued a weather advisory for Jammu and Kashmir predicting heavy rains and thundershowers from August 17 to 19.
“Risk of cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides in vulnerable areas. Districts on alert include Jammu, Reasi, Udhampur, Rajouri, Poonch, Samba, Kathua, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban and parts of Kashmir,” it said.
