Kishtwar cloudburst: Search for trapped victims continues on Day 4; death toll reaches 61
Army engineers have started working on a bailey bridge to restore connectivity to Chisoti village and the Machail Mata shrine and further intensify the rescue efforts.
With the recovery of another body from the debris, the officials on Sunday said the death toll has risen to 61.
The cloudburst struck Chisoti, the last motorable village en route the Machail Mata temple, on August 14, leaving over 100 injured, other than the fatalities.
The number of missing persons has come down to 50, while the bodies of three persons still remain unidentified.
The flash floods triggered by the cloudburst left a trail of destruction, flattening a makeshift market, a langar (community kitchen) site for the Machail Mata Yatra, damaging 16 houses and government buildings, three temples, four water mills, a 30-metre-long bridge, and more than a dozen vehicles.
The rescuers conducted three more controlled explosions within a span of 45 minutes to blow up giant boulders hampering the search operation, especially near the worst-hit langer site, the officials said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
5 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
2 more bodies recovered, toll of Kishtwar cloudburst mounts to 63
Rescuers, on Sunday, recovered two more bodies from cloudburst-battered Chishoti village in Kishtwar district taking the death toll to 63, said officials. Indian Army, SDRF, police and local administration carry out a search and rescue operation in flash flood-hit Chishoti village, in Kishtwar, on Sunday. (ANI) 'Two more bodies were recovered from the debris today, which has now taken the death toll to 63 so far. Searches are still on to trace missing pilgrims. We don't have any exact figures of those missing,' said a revenue official. As per reports 160 pilgrims remain missing since the cloudburst in the village. On Sunday, CISF DIG MK Yadav also visited Chishoti to take stock of the rescue operations. 'Search and rescue operation is underway. We had deployed our personnel here for the Machail Mata Yatra earlier. When this unfortunate incident happened, our personnel alerted people and saved a few. Our three personnel lost their lives and one is still missing,' he said. Chief minister Omar Abdullah had on Saturday expressed concern over the recent natural calamities in the Union territory, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and called for consultation with experts to see what can be done to 'mitigate the risks and dangers'. 'The entire Himalayan belt is now more prone to glacial lake bursts and cloudbursts,' he had said while responding about the possibility of forming a team of experts by his government to safeguard the fragile ecosystem in J&K. 'We are going to have a look at it. It is not just what is happening in J&K. Look at the scary videos that we saw from Uttarakhand. What is happening in Himachal? We are all now, I think, prone to these glacial lake bursts and cloudbursts. To deal with this freak weather, we will have to collectively and individually consult experts to see what we can do to mitigate the risks and the dangers of these things,' he said.
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Time of India
SDRF man Gets adoption Calls for 13-month-old girl saved from Kishtwar rubble, but child reunited with family
Kishtwar: Indian Army personnel construct a Bailey bridge as part of restoration work at cloudburst-hit Chadoti village, in Kishtwar district, Jammu and Kashmir. (PTI Photo) CHASOTI: A long beard, a navy-blue cap, a megaphone, and a child in his lap. That was how the world met Shahnawaz, an SDRF member from Doda in J&K. His photo — cradling a 13-month-old girl pulled alive from rubble at Chasoti village in Kishtwar district — has gone viral. Calls and messages poured in. Strangers wanted to adopt the baby. 'Her parents have been found. She is with them now, but people don't believe me,' Shahnawaz said Sunday. They kept calling. Flash floods from a cloudburst on Aug 14 tore through Chasoti's hillside stream. Rajai Nalla roared, hurling down boulders, trees, homes. A bridge snapped. People crossing the wooden span were swept away. Pilgrims at campsites and langars for Machail Mata Yatra vanished in a matter of seconds. At least 61 dead, 116 injured, and about 70 still missing. Rescue teams dug with excavators. Relatives stood along mud-brown banks, eyes fixed on orange vests. Desperation pushed them dangerously close to the torrent until one voice cut through: 'Step back.' That was Shahnawaz again, megaphone in hand, sprinting up and down the stream. 'Everyone is desperate. You cannot stop them from rushing to the spot when they hear that a body has been found,' he said, his voice turning hoarse. On Aug 14 evening, while clearing a shattered home, he spotted a faint movement — a tiny arm under debris. He pulled out the child, cleaned her, and wrapped her in a blanket. Then he asked colleagues to free a woman trapped nearby — the girl's mother, a healthcare worker. Alive. 'When the child began to cry, I was happy,' he said. Later that night, when phone networks revived, Shahnawaz's photo exploded online. 'I felt proud that people recognised our work. We gave our 100%. Saving lives brought us happiness.' The girl was handed back to her father, who had been frantically searching. Shahnawaz kept moving. The next day, Independence Day, he revived another girl with CPR and mouth-to-mouth. He had seen Kishtwar's worst for six years since he joined SDRF in 2019 — bodies fished from Chenab's icy currents after road crashes in the region's harsh terrain. 'Last winter, after pulling bodies from the freezing river, I felt my blood circulation had stopped,' he said. His family has always been supportive and proud of his work, despite the dangers. 'They're happy I saved the infant,' he said, smiling. Then he turned serious, patting the megaphone slung by his side: 'It has drained my voice, but it is part of my job.' As dusk fell on Chasoti, Shahnawaz's chilling warning echoed — stay away from the killer stream.
Economic Times
13 hours ago
- Economic Times
All schools in Jammu to remain closed on Aug 18 due to bad weather conditions
Synopsis Schools in Jammu Division will remain closed due to bad weather. Recent cloudburst and flash floods in Kishtwar caused many deaths. Rescue operations are ongoing with multiple agencies involved. Many people have been rescued. Kathua also experienced flash floods and landslides, resulting in casualties. Injured individuals were airlifted to a hospital. Relief efforts are underway in affected villages. PTI In view of the inclement and bad weather conditions, it is hereby ordered that all the Government as well as Private Schools of Jammu Division shall remain closed for tomorrow, August 18, said the Director, School Education, Jammu. Previously, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Sunday confirmed that 61 people have lost their lives in the cloudburst and flash flood incident that occurred in the Kishtwar district, while 116 individuals have been rescued so far. Addressing the media, Chief Secretary Dulloo said, "...61 people have lost their lives in the incident. Security forces and various agencies have launched a collective search and rescue operation. CISF, J&K Police, CRPF, BRO, Indian Army, and NHPC were present at the spot immediately after the incident. Almost 450 people are working there day and night in a rescue operation. 116 people have been rescued so far."Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Deputy Inspector General (DIG) MK Yadav stated that the rescue operations are ongoing and efforts are being made to locate and save those still missing."Rescue operations are ongoing here, and JCB machines are also working NDRF, local police, and CISF have all been divided into teams, zoning up the area. All agencies are working are hopeful of saving more people who are missing, who are trapped inside boulders, muddy areas, we are trying our best to get them out. The situation here is better than before..." Yadav said while speaking to ANI. The cloudburst, which occurred during the Machail Mata Yatra on August 14, led to devastating flash floods, leaving around 55 people dead in Kishtwar. Security forces have since intensified relief and rescue efforts in the affected speaking on the situation in Kathua, which also experienced flash floods and a landslide, Chief Secretary Dulloo stated that seven people had lost their lives and six others sustained injuries."...Seven people have lost their lives in the incident. Six people are injured. Those who were injured were evacuated by helicopter and admitted to the military hospital, Pathankot," he the Indian Army, in coordination with the Jammu and Kashmir Police and civil administration, carried out rescue operations in flash flood-hit villages of Kathua district on Sunday, officials Deputy Commissioner Rajesh Sharma confirmed that five people have lost their lives, while seven others sustained injuries and are being airlifted to the military hospital in Pathankot."...There has been a lot of damage to roads and human lives in Kathua. In this village, five people have lost their lives and seven people are injured. The injured have been airlifted to the military hospital in Pathankot... A lot of houses have also been damaged... We are providing food and relief to those who are being evacuated..." Sharma told reporters.
