Kishtwar cloudburst: Search on for survivors, IAF makes 8 sorties | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
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Kishtwar cloudburst: Search on for survivors, IAF makes 8 sorties

Written by Joydeep Bose | Edited by Meenakshi Ray, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
Jul 30, 2021 06:33 AM IST

Kishtwar clouburst: Officials say the relief operation is taking a hit as Honzar village neither has any road connectivity nor a mobile phone network. In fact, it takes five hours of trekking just to reach the village from the nearest road.

At least 19 people are still missing in Honzar village of Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district, more than 48 hours since a flash flood ravaged the area following a cloudburst on Wednesday morning. The Kishtwar relief operation is being led by teams deployed by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). The Indian Army has also joined the civil administration and the state police in conducting the rescue and relief efforts. However, as of Thursday night, no survivors or bodies could be found, officials said.

Army and police personnel rescuing a civilian in Kishtwar district of J&K. (File Photo / PTI)
Army and police personnel rescuing a civilian in Kishtwar district of J&K. (File Photo / PTI)

Although a rescue operation to look for the missing is on, police officials familiar with the matter told HT that chances of finding any survivors "look bleak".

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Also Read | Kishtwar cloudburst: Rescue teams search for survivors

The Indian Air Force (IAF), which also joined the operation, conducted eight helicopter sorties on Thursday evening despite bad weather and distributed relief material to the cloudburst-hit Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir.

"Three IAF helicopters -- one each from Jammu, Udhampur, and Srinagar -- were utilised for airlifting joint teams of the NDRF and the SDRF to Kishtwar," Jammu-based army spokesperson Lt Col Devender Anand told news agency PTI.

The helicopters flew a total of eight sorties and transported from Sondar to Kishtwar a relief load of 2,250kg, 44 NDRF and SDRF personnel, four medical assistants, and two patients in critical conditions for specialised treatment.

Disaster response personnel were rushed to Kishtwar as soon as news of the cloudburst broke out. On Wednesday evening, seven bodies were retrieved and 17 injured were rescued. Six of the injured were shifted to the Kishtwar district hospital in view of their critical condition.

Officials say the relief operation is taking a hit as Honzar village neither has any road connectivity nor a mobile phone network. In fact, it takes five hours of trekking just to reach the village from the nearest road.

The administration of Jammu and Kashmir has announced an ex-gratia of 5 lakh each for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the tragic cloudburst in Kishtwar. Those grievously injured will be provided with 50,000 each, while the SDRF will also disburse 12,700 separately to each of the injured.

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