J&K Cloudburst: 38 Dead In Kishtwar, Rescue Operations Underway

At least 38 people have lost their lives in a massive cloudburst in Kishtwar district of Jammu & Kashmir on Thursday, NDTV reported.

The cloudburst hit Chositi, the last motorable village en route to the Machail Mata shrine. The disaster hit the region between noon and 1 pm when a large number of people had gathered for the Machail Mata yatra — an 8.5-km trek to the shrine.

The death toll is feared to go up and 98 people have been rescued so far, out of which, the condition of 28 is said to be serious. Two CISF personnel have been killed in the calamity, news agency PTI quoted the officials as saying.

A large-scale rescue operation is underway by the NDRF, SDRF, police, Army and local volunteers. The annual yatra to the shrine was suspended following the tragedy, the officials said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the situation was being monitored closely. "Rescue and relief operations are underway. Every possible assistance will be provided to those in need," he posted on X.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said all possible resources were being mobilised from within and beyond J&K to manage the rescue operations.

Chositi is about 90 kilometres from Kishtwar town. A 'langar' (community kitchen) set up for the devotees suffered the worst of the cloudburst. The cloudburst resulted in flash floods and destroyed buildings and other structures like shops and a security post.

Right after the calamity struck, Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Sharma gathered rescue forces and went to the spot to personally supervise the operations along with the senior superintendent of police.