Kishtwar: The death toll in Thursday’s devastating cloudburst tragedy in Kishtwar, has risen to 60, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said. Over 160 people have been rescued so far. Of those rescued, 38 are in serious condition.
The death toll is expected to rise further as over 100 people are still missing. The brunt of the catastrophic flash flood and mudslide, set of by the cloudburst, was borne by a camp of pilgrims in the Chasoti village. They pilgrims were on their way to the Machail Mata Mandir and were having lunch at a langar when the tragedy occurred.
The camp, along with several houses and government buildings were swept away. The Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Jammu and Kashmir Police are carrying out rescue operations.
On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Abdullah and lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha, reviewed the situation and assured all possible help.
“I just received a call from Hon PM Modi. I briefed him about the situation in Kishtwar & the steps being taken by the administration. My government & the people hit by this tragic cloudburst are grateful for his support & all the assistance provided by the Union government,” Abdullah posted on X.
The administration has set up a control room and help desk in Paddar, around 15 km from Chasoti, to assist locals and pilgrims affected by the floods. Five officials have been assigned to the control room.
The Helpline numbers are: 9858223125, 6006701934, 9797504078, 8492886895, 8493801381, and 7006463710.
Chasoti serves as a base camp for the annual Machail Mata Yatra. At the time of the disaster, between noon and 1 pm on Thursday, the area was crowded with pilgrims, survivors have said. The floods, along with mudslides and debris, destroyed houses, shops, and vehicles.
In his Independence Day address, PM Modi expressed solidarity with victims of recent disasters across the country.
“Nature is testing us… Over the past few days, we have faced landslides, cloudbursts, and other calamities. Our sympathies are with the affected people,” he said.