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Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Climate
- Hindustan Times
Rescuers scour debris as J&Kflash flood toll hits 60, may rise
Rescuers continued digging through thick mud and debris in a remote Jammu & Kashmir village on Friday in search of survivors as the toll from a flash flood that tore through the hamlet a day earlier rose to 60 with several still missing, officials said. Stranded pilgrims are helped across a water channel using a makeshift bridge a day after flash floods in Chishoti village, Kishtwar district. (AP) Hundreds of personnel from security forces and disaster-relief agencies were scouring Chishoti village in Kishtwar district after torrential rain triggered a deluge that swept away a community kitchen and multiple structures along the route of an annual pilgrimage. 'The loss of lives is heart breaking. According to the information received, some 60 people have lost their lives, and many more are missing. We do not know their exact figure,' J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah said during an Independence Day event. Rescue teams comprising of army, Border Security Force (BSF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and J&K police personnel set up makeshift bridges over a rivulet, located next to the village, to bring the rescued to safety, officials aware of the matter said. 'The number of injured has gone to 116. Searches are on, but we don't have any exact number of those missing. The area has a pile of slush, boulders, trees and flattened houses. The rescuers are using 12 JCB machines to remove debris and trace missing pilgrims,' an official involved in the rescue efforts said on condition of anonymity. New visuals that emerged of Thursday's incident showed a blast of muddy water, silt and rubble tearing through the steep slopes of the village, washing away roads, trees and bringing down houses along its path. The deluge also flattened a makeshift market where a community kitchen was being organised and overran a CISF picket in Chishoti, located around 80km from the Kishtwar district headquarters. The village was brimming with devotees, who had gathered for the annual pilgrimage to the Chandi Mata temple in Machail village at the time of the disaster. The pilgrimage began on July 25 and was scheduled to continue till September 5. It has been put on hold. Chishoti is the last motorable village on the way to the temple and serves as the point where the devotees start the 8.5-kilometre trek to the 9,500-feet-high identities of the deceased were not immediately known, but officials said that most of them could be pilgrims. 'I suddenly felt the ground shaking. There were around 150 pilgrims inside the langar. Everything was swept away within seconds. I ran towards the hill and escaped,' Pardeep Singh, a sewadar or volunteer at the community kitchen, said. Sneha Mehra, 32, one of the pilgrims, said she and her family members were swept away in the flash flood.'I was trapped in mud under a vehicle, surrounded by bodies – some of them children. After gaining my senses, I crawled to safety,' she said. Mehra was eventually reunited with her family. Nirmala Devi, a resident of the village, said her father and uncle were among the missing. 'My father, Bodh Raj, and uncle Dinanath were performing priest duties in the local temple. Both of them, along with some 15 people, were washed away in the flash floods,' she said. The disaster came nine days after flash floods wreaked havoc in Dharali village of Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district, ripping into buildings, power lines and vehicles. Just one person has been confirmed dead in the incident, but 68 continue to be missing. The weather department in J&K had predicted heavy rainfall, and Abdullah said they will ascertain if authorities failed to act on the warning. 'We will have to figure out why this happened. Was there any lapse on the part of the administration because we already had a weather forecast about heavy rains and flash floods?' Abdullah, who reached Kishtwar late in the evening said. The CM said he apprised Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the ground situation and was assured of all possible help from the Centre. Union minister Jitendra Singh said he has also left for Kishtwar. 'Enroute to the cloud burst site in Chositi, I had left from Jammu by an Indian Air Force helicopter, but the chopper returned back after flying for one hour without finding it feasible to land. Immediately thereafter, I've left by road to reach the affected site as early as possible,' he posted on X.
Mint
a day ago
- Mint
Kishtwar cloudburst horror: Pilgrims were having langar en route to Machail Mata shrine when flash floods struck
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.'
News18
2 days ago
- News18
Kishtwar Cloudburst: Pilgrims Were Eating Langar, Resting Next To Nullah When Flash Floods Hit
Last Updated: Pilgrims were standing in and around the nullah and waiting for langar were swept away when the cloud burst and the nullah swelled. Groups of pilgrims were scattered in and around the Jasnai nullah and were sitting in setups, collecting food from a community kitchen, popularly known as langar, when flash floods washed them away following a cloudburst in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar on Thursday. The flash floods have claimed over 46 lives and injured over a hundred people. Over several dozens are being rescued. Officials said that rescue efforts are being hindered due to incessant rain in the region. According to reports by the Indian Express and the Hindustan Times, the pilgrims were gathered at Chasoti village. The village is a key stop on the pilgrimage to the Hindu shrine Machail Mata Mandir. '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. The Jasnai nullah is a regular stop along the pilgrimage route to the Chandi Mata temple in Paddar. The pilgrimage began on July 25, and so far more than 1.3 lakh devotees have visited the shrine. This weekend is especially significant, as the number of pilgrims rises sharply. Each year, on the first Bhadon or Bhadoon Sankranti (August 15 or 16), devotees from across Paddar gather outside the temple in Machail to offer prayers and seek blessings, according to the shrine's website. Local residents said the cloudburst struck between noon and 1 pm, when a large number of pilgrims had gathered at Chositi, the last motorable point before the Kali Mata temple in Machail, located at 2,880 metres. Pilgrims parked their vehicles at Chositi, where makeshift shops and a langar were set up, and continued to the temple on foot along the Jasnai nullah. 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, leaving little time for anyone to react. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
