Jammu/New Delhi, Aug 15: Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday in the wake of a cloudburst in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district to take stock of the situation and promised all help, officials said.
A massive flash flood triggered by a cloudburst struck a remote mountain village in Kishtwar on Thursday, killing at least 60 people and injuring more than 100 others.
Modi spoke with Abdullah and Sinha on the tragedy in the wake of the cloudburst in Kishtwar, the officials said. He took stock of the situation and promised all help, they added.
Meanwhile, at least 46 people, including two CISF personnel, have been confirmed dead after a cloudburst unleashed flash floods in Chisoti village of Kishtwar district on Thursday, with 21 victims identified so far, officials said on Friday. The disaster struck the remote mountainous settlement between noon and 1 pm, sweeping away homes, shops, and vehicles during peak pilgrimage activity for the annual Machail Mata Yatra.
Authorities said the identification process began after victims’ photographs were circulated via a WhatsApp group to families of the missing, enabling relatives to confirm the identities of nearly half the deceased recovered from the debris. Over 160 people have been rescued, though the condition of 38 is reported to be critical. Officials warned the toll may rise as more bodies are believed to be trapped under mud and rubble.
A control room-cum-help desk was established in Paddar, 15 km from Chisoti, to coordinate relief and respond to distress calls. Since its activation, the desk has received numerous appeals from families seeking information on 67 missing persons. Efforts are also underway to reach hundreds of stranded pilgrims in Machail and Hamori, where communication has been cut off following a power outage that drained mobile batteries.
Rescue teams said search operations will continue to retrieve bodies from submerged areas and riverbanks. Locals reported sighting 10 bodies floating in the Chenab River, prompting further recovery attempts downstream. The cloudburst’s force obliterated a security camp, damaged vehicles at the bus stand—the starting point for the temple trek—and destroyed several shops and a community kitchen serving devotees.
Amid the destruction, a temple in the heart of the flood zone remained standing, becoming a rare symbol of survival in a village otherwise scarred by the deluge’s fury.
Earlier in the morning, Despite rains, the rescue and relief operations resumed early Friday after a night-long pause to look for survivors feared trapped under rubble and mud in the cloudburst-hit village in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
Several earth-movers requisitioned by the district administration have joined the operation to move giant boulders, uprooted trees, and electricity poles to speed up the rescue and relief operation, the officials said.
Disaster struck Chositi, the last motorable village on the way to Machail Mata temple, around 12.25 pm on Thursday, leaving 46 people, including two CISF personnel, dead.
A large number of people had gathered there for the annual Machail Mata yatra that began on July 25 and was scheduled to end on September 5. The 8.5 km trek to the 9,500-feet shrine begins from Chositi, which is about 90 km from Kishtwar town. The yatra remained suspended for the second day on Friday.
So far, 167 people have been rescued in injured condition, while 69 are reported missing by their relatives. Many more are believed to be trapped following the deluge, which flattened a makeshift market, a langar (community kitchen) site for the yatra, and a security outpost.
At least 16 residential houses and government buildings, three temples, four water mills, and a 30-metre span bridge, besides over a dozen vehicles, were damaged in the flash floods in Chositi and downstream, the officials said.
The rescue and relief operation was suspended late Thursday night and was started with the first light of the day, despite the rains, with rescuers comprising police, army, NDRF, SDRF personnel, and local volunteers sifting through the rubble to find survivors.
Videos showed torrents of muddy water, silt, and rubble tearing through the steep slopes, destroying everything in the way. Houses folded over like a pack of cards, rocks came tumbling down, blocking roads and rescue paths, the mudslide turning the verdant landscape to a grim brown-grey.
Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Sharma, along with Senior Superintendent of Police, Kishtwar, Naresh Singh, are camping in the area to oversee the multi-agency operation on the ground.
The death toll went up steadily on Thursday as the day progressed, and there were fears it could rise further.
The fragile Himalayan slopes faced disaster just nine days after flash floods wreaked havoc in Dharali village of Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district. Though only one person is confirmed dead, 68 people are still reported missing.
