Kishtwar cloudburst: 21 days on, no trace of 19 missing persons

Local SSP Shafqat Hussain Butt said though the searches are still on, most likely the 19 people who went missing were swept away in the river following a flashflood on July 28

More than 20 days have passed since a flashflood swept away a number of people in Kishtwar’s Honzar village, but 19 of those missing still remain untraced.

(Image for representational purpose (PTI))

Kishtwar SSP Shafqat Hussain Butt said, “Though the searches are still on, most likely the 19 people who are missing were swept away in the river following flashflood on July 28.”

At least seven people were killed and 17 others were injured, six of them critically, while 19 went missing after flashfloods hit Honjar village following a cloudburst in the wee hours of July 28.

“We have not called off the search operation, but there is no clue of those missing,” Butt added.

The dead were identified as Sara Begum, wife of Ghulam Mohammad, Rakila Begum, wife of Zakir Ahmed (a nomad), Ghulam Nabi, son of Ghulam Rasool (a watchman at a ration depot), Abdul Majid (a teacher), son of Nazir Ahmed, Zaytoon Begum, wife of Haji Lal Din (a nomad), Touseef Iqbal, son of Mohammad Iqbal and Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din, son of Nasrullah.

Nineteen residential properties and 21 cowsheds were also damaged while two houses were partially destroyed by the deluge.

Honzar is around 50km from Kishtwar district headquarters and it takes a 7km trek from the nearest road to reach the village.