The death toll from the massive cloudburst in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar climbed to 60 on Friday, even as intense rescue operations continued for the second day, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said.
Hundreds of people remain missing after flash floods swept through the region along the Machail Mata Yatra route to the Himalayan shrine of Mata Chandi, with many feared buried under the debris.
So far, 167 people have been rescued in injured condition, and the condition of 38 among them is said to be serious. 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.
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Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said that 60 were dead and over 100 injured in the cloudburst in Kishtwar on Thursday.
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With a large number of people, mostly devotees, gathered in Chositi for the annual Machail Mata Yatra, officials fear the casualty count may rise as rescue and search operations continue. According to BJP leader Suni Sharma, nearly 1,200 people were present at the site.
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In addition to the makeshift camps and shops set up for the Yatra, the flash floods in Chositi and downstream damaged at least 16 residential houses and government buildings, three temples, four water mills, a 30-metre-span bridge, and more than a dozen vehicles.
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In view of the disaster, the district administration has cancelled Independence Day celebrations in Kishtwar. The Deputy Commissioner ordered that the ceremony be limited to flag hoisting and the national anthem, with no cultural events or at-home tea parties to be conducted.
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Out of 46 bodies retrieved so far, 21 have been identified by their families and the rest are being identified, officials said.
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A team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) reached cloudburst-hit village on Friday, and two more teams are on their way and will be joining the operation as the destruction is wide and vast, officials said. The Army has also inducted one more column to intensify the search and rescue operation, they said. Rashtriya Rifles troops have joined the operation.
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The exact number of stranded people remains unknown, as communication and connectivity beyond the disaster site have been cut off. Hundreds are stranded in the two villages ahead of the cloudburst-hit belt — Machail and Hamori — with mobile phones dead after power supply was snapped in the wake of the disaster.
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Adverse weather has hampered rescue operations, with helicopters grounded due to poor visibility. Multiple earthmovers are being deployed to clear the boulders and massive trees that have buried the village.
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The J&K Police has placed all sub-divisions on high alert, with dedicated teams stationed to respond to any emergency amid the prevailing weather conditions. In coordination with the district administration, control rooms and help desks have been activated across the district to assist citizens and pilgrims, particularly in vulnerable and remote areas.
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Disaster struck Chositi was the the last motorable village on the way to Machail Mata temple. 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.
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