E-Paper
38 people, mostly pilgrims, die in Kishtwar cloudburst, 100 injured: Officials
Kishtwar cloudburst: J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah said the administration has decided to cancel the cultural events during the Independence Day celebrations
JAMMU: Torrential rain struck a remote Himalayan mountain village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district on Thursday, killing 38 people and injuring many more, officials said.
The disaster, reportedly triggered by a cloudburst, took place in Chishoti village by the banks of a rivulet), a stopover point on a popular pilgrimage route to Mata Machail temple in Padder area. The pilgrimage began on July 25, and over 130,000 pilgrims have already paid obeisance at the shrine.
A police officer said a cloudburst in Chishoti Nullah triggered massive flash floods around noon on Thursday. “The deluge hit a community kitchen set up for the pilgrims where 100 to 150 pilgrims were having food,” the officer said.
A cloudburst, according to the Indian Meteorological Department, is a sudden downpour of over 100 mm of rain in just one hour, which can trigger floods, landslides, and devastation, especially in mountainous regions during the monsoon.
Kishtwar district commissioner Pankaj Kumar Sharma said 38 people have died so far and over a 100 are injured. There are chances of more dead bodies being found, he said.
Inspector General of Police Jammu zone BS Tuti said most of the victims were pilgrims and the casualty figures were expected to rise.
The injured were rushed to the sub-district hospital at Atholi, many were shifted to the district hospital in Kishtwar 80km away.
Apart from the community kitchen, three-four houses located close to the rivulet were also swept away.
Much of the Chishoti village is safe since it is located at some distance from the rivulet and is on a slope.
Personnel of the Indian Army, Border Security Force, State Disaster Response Force and the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed.
A Gulabgarh resident, Deepak Singh said the situation was “very grim”. “About 150 pilgrims had taken shelter in the Langar when a cloudburst hit the area,” he said.
He said the CISF had set up a picket near the community kitchen, which was also swept away in the torrent of water and debris along with vehicles which were parked. Chishoti village was the last motorable village on the way to the shrine.
President Droupadi Murmu led the country in condoling the deaths. “The news of several deaths due to a cloudburst in Kishtwar, Jammu-Kashmir, is extremely tragic. I express my heartfelt condolences to the grieving families and pray for the success of relief and rescue operations,” Murmu said in a post on X in Hindi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief and shock over the incident. “My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the cloudburst and flooding in Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir. The situation is being monitored closely. Rescue and relief operations are underway. Every possible assistance will be provided to those in need,” he said in a post on X.
Union home minister Amit Shah also spoke to the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister, lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha, about the incident and assured them of all possible assistance.
Abdullah referred to his conversation with the home minister about the incident.
“I just spoke to the Union Home Minister @AmitShah Sb to brief him about the developing situation in Kishtwar region of Jammu. The news is grim & accurate, verified information from the area hit by the cloud burst is slow in arriving. All possible resources are being mobilised from within & beyond J&K to manage the rescue operations. I’m not going to be speaking to channels or news agencies. The government will share information as & when possible,” he said in a post on X.
The chief minister later announced that the cultural events scheduled in connection with the Independence Day celebrations would be cancelled in view of the tragedy.
