Kishtwar Flash Floods Kill 60 | CM Omar Abdullah Reviews Damage, IAF Prepared for Relief Ops

In Chisoti village of Kishtwar district, Jammu and Kashmir, rescue and relief operations entered its third day on Saturday after a massive cloudburst brought flash floods, claiming at least 60 lives, and left over 100 injured and many others missing.

Rescue work was stepped up with the use of nearly a dozen earthmovers, supported by special equipment and NDRF dog squads. Till now, 46 bodies have been identified and given to families after completing legal procedures. Around 75 people are still missing, though locals fear that the number of casualties may be higher, as many could be trapped under logs, rocks, and debris. The dead also included two CISF personnel and a special police officer from the local force. The disaster hit Chisoti, the last village accessible by road on the way to the Machail Mata temple, at 12:25 pm on August 14.

CM Visits Flood-Hit Chisoti Village

J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reached the affected village on Saturday, where army officers briefed him on the situation. Using a virtual reality headset, he assessed the destruction caused by the flash floods. The disaster destroyed a makeshift market, a pilgrims’ kitchen, a security post, 16 homes, government offices, three temples, four water mills, a 30-metre-long bridge, and more than a dozen vehicles. For rescue and relief, the IAF has kept two Mi-17 helicopters and one Advanced Light Helicopter ready at Jammu and Udhampur. Union minister Jitendra Singh and J&K DGP Nalin Prabhat had already visited the site on Friday night to oversee operations.

Yatra Further Suspended

The annual Machail Mata yatra, which began on July 25 and was scheduled to continue till September 5, has been stopped for the third consecutive day. The 8.5 km trek to the shrine at 9,500 feet begins from Chisoti, which is nearly 90 km from Kishtwar town. So far, 34 identified bodies have been given back to their families in Kishtwar, Jammu, Udhampur, and Doda, with several cremations already completed. J&K minister Satish Sharma also visited the families of victims, offered condolences, and promised government help.

On-Ground Situation

Videos from the area showed powerful currents of muddy water and debris rushing downhill, destroying homes and roads and turning green slopes into a brown wasteland. Security forces built a temporary log bridge over the stream so that pilgrims returning from the shrine could cross safely. Local BJP MLA and opposition leader Sunil Sharma stated that hundreds could still be stuck under the debris. He mentioned that nearly 15,000 devotees were present at the shrine during the cloudburst, out of which about 4,000 have already been evacuated. The remaining pilgrims are being cleared through a Bailey bridge set up by the army.