Kishtwar cloudburst horror: Pilgrims were having langar en route to Machail Mata shrine when flash floods struck

Mint

2 days ago

Hundreds of pilgrims had gathered at the Jasnai nullah at Chasoti village for the last leg of the yatra to Machail Mata temple when tragedy struck on Thursday.
The unsuspecting group was resting and having langar when a deadly cloudburst in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar triggered flash floods and landslides, washing them away.
At least 60 people lost their lives in this massive cloudburst led to flash floods, while over a hundred people have been injured.
According to media reports, the Jasnai nullah at the Chasoti village is a key stop on the pilgrimage. Here, langar, a community kitchen, is set up for the pilgrims of the Hindu shrine.
'The deluge hit a community kitchen set up for the pilgrims where 100 to 150 pilgrims were having food,' an officer speaking to the Hindustan Times said.
According to reports, the nullah is also a regular stop on the pilgrimage route to the Chandi Mata temple in Paddar, where over 1.3 lakh devotees have already visited since it began on July 25.
On the fateful Thursday, the number of pilgrims was on a sharp rise because of the first Bhadon or Bhadoon Sankranti (August 15 or 16).
According to the shrine's website, devotees from across Paddar were gathering outside the temple in Machail to offer prayers and seek blessings.
When the cloudburst hit, many were either standing in the nullah or resting at the langar. Within seconds, the water level surged, sweeping away numerous devotees, locals said.
'We stopped at a Maggi shop. People told us to run (because of the cloudburst), but we stayed back, thinking it was safe here,' Nine-year-old Devanshi said.
Within minutes, a large mass of mud collapsed over the shop. 'Mata saved us,' she recounted how her family members and villagers pulled her out of the debris.
Sneha from Jammu said she had felt it was all over for her after being washed away and buried under a vehicle. 'As we reached our vehicles, we heard a loud bang and saw a cloudburst over the hill,' she recalled.
In no time, a wall of mud, boulders, and trees swept them towards the Chenab River, trapping them.
"My father managed to free himself first, then helped me out. I pulled my mother out from under an electric pole. She was barely conscious and badly injured,' she said.
She said some villagers were washed away into the Chenab. 'Bodies lay everywhere. The entire hill had come down. Even the Thakur ji idol of Chittoo Mata Temple was washed away before our eyes.'