Srinagar, Aug 16: Three days after a devastating cloudburst struck Chisoti village in Kishtwar district, rescuers recovered seven more bodies on Saturday, raising the death toll to 58. An official told Rising Kashmir that 82 people remain missing as hopes of survival dwindle with each passing hour.
The flash floods, triggered by the cloudburst in Padder sub-division at 12:25 pm on August 14, destroyed a makeshift market, a langar (community kitchen) serving the Machail Mata yatra, a security outpost, and several homes. The deluge also damaged 16 residential houses and government buildings, three temples, four water mills, a 30-metre bridge, and over a dozen vehicles. More than 120 people sustained injuries, and to date, 167 individuals have been rescued.
The annual Machail Mata yatra, which commenced on July 25 and was scheduled to conclude on September 5, has been suspended for the third consecutive day. The 8.5-kilometre trek to the 9,500-ft-high shrine begins at Chisoti—the last motorable point approximately 90 km from Kishtwar town.
Among the missing are 60 people from Jammu, Udhampur, and Samba districts; four each from Haryana and Madhya Pradesh; one from Himachal Pradesh; and several from Doda, Reasi, and Rajouri districts. The list also includes CISF constable Manoj Kumar Biswal.
In Benagarh near Jammu, seven residents, including four children, remain untraced. “The entire village is in grief. We are hoping the rescuers find them alive,” said Ajay Kumar, a relative. In Bishnah, the body of Happy Sharma was cremated on Friday, while six others from the area, five of them children, are still missing.
In Samba’s Sarai village, Poonam and her two daughters Rashika and Namika are among those missing; her husband and son survived. Families from Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh also remain untraced.
Rescue operations were stepped up on Saturday with the Army blasting giant boulders that had blocked access to the langar site, the worst-hit spot. Nearly a dozen earth-movers were deployed, while the NDRF brought in specialised equipment and dog squads.
The rescue is being supervised on the ground by Chief Secretary AtalDulloo, Maj Gen A P S Bal (Delta Force GOC), CISF DIG M K Yadav, Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar, IGP BhimSenTuti, DC Pankaj Kumar Sharma and SSP Naresh Singh, who are camping in the area.
So far, 50 bodies have been identified and handed over to families after completion of legal formalities. With more than 80 people still missing, officials said the search would continue “till every family has closure”.
