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'He was not at home…': Son recalls Kishtwar flashflood horror as father still missing
Pawan Kumar recounted the moment when the tragedy struck and said that they were at their hotel when the floodwaters rushed in.
A man identified as Somnath went missing after a sudden flash flood struck Chishoti village in Kishtwar district on August 14, leaving his family devastated. His son, Pawan Kumar, has appealed to authorities for urgent help in tracing him.
The cloudburst-triggered floods have left widespread devastation in Kishtwar, particularly in Chishoti village. At least 60 people, many of them pilgrims visiting the Machail Mata shrine, have died, while over 100 have been injured. Several others remain missing as search and rescue operations continue.
As Pawan Kumar recounted the moment the tragedy struck, he told news agency ANI, “At that time, we were in the hotel we had set up, and we were serving food to the tourists who had come. After that, suddenly there was a flood. We left from there quickly, and when we looked back, nothing was left.”
He added his father disappeared in the chaos. “When we looked for our father, he was not there; we thought he must have come home, but he was not at home either. Then we understood that he had become a victim of the flood...The police are saying that they are looking for him, but nothing has been found so far. We would request the government to find our father as soon as possible,” he said.
Kishtwar devastation
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah visited the affected villages on Saturday and met the survivors. He announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh each for the families of the deceased, ₹1 lakh for those severely injured, and ₹50,000 for those with minor injuries.
For structural damages, RS 1 lakh will be provided for fully destroyed houses, ₹50,000 for severely damaged ones, and ₹25,000 for partially damaged homes.
Major General APS Bal, General Officer Commanding (GOC) Counter Insurgency Force, Delta, said the army was among the first responders.
“...All the security forces are trying their best to rescue as many people as possible from the area affected by the cloudburst. We are also providing relief to the local people who have suffered due to this disaster... The Indian Army was the first to respond to this disaster, and they reached the spot within 45 minutes,” he told reporters.
