SRINAGAR: A day after a devastating cloudburst struck the remote Chositi village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, killing 60 persons and injuring over 100 others, a massive rescue operation is underway to save dozens feared trapped beneath debris and mud.
Braving intermittent rains, rescuers have intensified their search for survivors.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said 60 people have so far died in the cloudburst.
He said over 100 have been injured and many others are still missing. "We don't have the exact number of the missing people," the CM said.
Thirty bodies have been identified and handed over to the victims' families.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Abdullah and Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday and assured them of all help.
An official said the injured persons have been evacuated to different hospitals for specialised treatment.
The condition of 35 injured is stated to be critical. The official said the death toll is likely to go up.
“As of now, 69 persons are missing as their family members have approached the administration and informed about the missing of their wards,” the official said.
The official said a rescue operation by SDRF, police, civil administration personnel and NDRF teams is going on.
The local volunteers and residents are also assisting in the rescue operation.
A massive cloudburst struck Chositi, the last motorable village en route to the Machail Mata temple in Kishtwar district, at around noon yesterday.
The cloudburst triggered a flash flood and mudslide in Chositi village, which was abuzz with activities as people in large numbers have been visiting the area since the start of the Machail Mata Yatra on July 25.
The pilgrims have to travel 8.5 km from the road to the 9,500-feet-high temple from Chositi village. The temple lies two villages ahead, and the devotees have to pass through Chositi.
A volunteer said nobody knows the exact number of missing people as a large number of people were present at the site when the cloudburst hit the village, triggering the flash flood and mudslide.
“There was a parking lot and langar (community kitchen) in the area. Besides, there was a paramilitary camp in the area. Locals had also set up shops in view of the yatra,” DDC chairperson Kishtwar Pooja Thakur told this newspaper.
Sources said a large number of devotees, who were heading to Machail Mata temple during the ongoing Machail Mata Yatra, were present at the spot when the cloudburst struck.
The langar camp and kitchen were washed away while vehicles in the parking lot were carried away by the flash flood and mudslide to some distance.
The flash flood and mudslide have caused massive damage in the area and virtually split the village into two.
An NDRF official said it would be difficult to rescue the people trapped in the debris and muck.
“It will be very challenging and our personnel are present at the site and part of the rescue operation,” he said. The Army has also joined in the rescue operation.
“Army pressed over five columns of 60 personnel each and medical detachments of Jammu-based White Corps into service to assist NDRF, SDRF, police and civilian agencies in the rescue operation to save lives and assist those in need,” an army official said.
Advocate Babar, volunteer of the local Ababeel NGO, which is assisting in the rescue operation, said all dead bodies could not be identified yet.“The bodies of victims, which have been identified, are being shifted to their homes in ambulances. he added”
According to Babar, the langar camp bore the brunt of the cloudburst and flash flood as a large number of devotees were present in the camp either taking food or resting before moving ahead.
When asked how many people are still missing, he said nobody knows the exact number.
“It is not known how many people were present in the area when the cloudburst and flash flood took place,” he said, adding that the rescue operation is going on.
“Let us pray that all the trapped persons are rescued and reunited with their families,” he added.
In a post on X, Modi said, "Spoke to Jammu and Kashmir LG, Shri Manoj Sinha Ji and CM Shri Omar Abdullah Ji regarding the situation in the wake of the cloudburst and flooding in Kishtwar."
"Authorities are working on the ground to assist those affected," he added.
Addressing an Independence-Day function at Srinagar's Bakshi Stadium, Abdullah said at least 60 people have been killed and more than 100 injured in the tragic incident.
The chief minister also said in the coming days, "we will have to figure out why this happened. Was there any lapse on the part of the administration, because we already had a weather forecast (about the possibility of heavy rains and flash floods)".
"Could we have taken more steps from the government and the administration to save those precious lives? We have to make ourselves accountable," he added.
More than a dozen earth-movers have joined the rescue operation in Kishtwar to clear boulders, uprooted trees, and electricity poles, while an NDRF team with special equipment arrived Friday morning. Two additional NDRF teams are on their way.
Jammu Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar and IG Police Bhim Sen Tuti visited the site to review operations. Kishtwar DC Pankaj Kumar Sharma and SSP Naresh Singh have been overseeing the multi-agency rescue effort on the ground since Thursday. Bad weather prevented choppers, so the NDRF team travelled by road from Udhampur.
Authorities have shared pictures of the deceased with families via WhatsApp, identifying 30 victims so far. A control room-cum-help desk has been set up in Padder, 15 km from Chositi, with five officials attending calls. Contact numbers for assistance are 9858223125, 6006701934, 9797504078, 8492886895, 8493801381, and 7006463710. Hundreds remain stranded in Machail and Hamori villages, where mobile phones are dead due to a power outage caused by the disaster.
The Army has inducted an additional column, and Rashtriya Rifles troops have joined the operation. In total, five columns of 60 personnel each — 300 troops — along with medical detachments of the White Knight Corps, police, SDRF, civilian agencies, and volunteer groups like Ababeel and Hilal Volunteers, are involved in the rescue.
The Indian Air Force is also ready to undertake relief and rescue operations, with two Mi-17 helicopters and one Advanced Light Helicopter on standby at Jammu and Udhampur, sources said on Friday.
Operations will commence at the "first available operational weather window", a source said.
Videos show torrents of muddy water, silt, and rubble tearing through steep slopes, destroying houses, sweeping away vehicles, and blocking rescue paths. Houses “folded like a pack of cards,” while rocks and uprooted trees blocked roads. The langar camp, shops, and a security outpost were washed away, though one temple miraculously survived.
The Jammu and Kashmir health department has reinforced hospitals with additional doctors and paramedics. Specialist teams from PGI-Chandigarh are slated to assist at GMC Jammu and GMC Doda. Kishtwar district hospital has been prepped with general and orthopaedic surgeons, anaesthetists, and extra staff. GMC-Jammu is ready with 50 disaster beds, 20 ventilator beds, five operating theatres, and a blood bank stocked with over 200 units. Sixty-five ambulances from the health department, NHPC, Army, CRPF, and 108 Emergency Service are deployed for rescue and patient transfer.
The disaster comes just nine days after flash floods in Dharali village of Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, where one death is confirmed and 68 people remain missing.
(With inputs from PTI)