Latest news with #MachailMata
AsiaOne
2 hours ago
- Climate
- AsiaOne
Floods and landslides in Indian Kashmir kill 60, over 100 missing, Asia News
SRINAGAR — At least 60 people have died and more than 100 are missing, a day after sudden, heavy rain caused floods and landslides in Indian Kashmir, authorities and local media said on Friday (Aug 15), the second such disaster in the Himalayas in a little over a week. Gushing mudslides and floodwaters inundated the village of Chasoti in Indian Kashmir on Thursday, washing away pilgrims who had gathered for lunch before trekking up the hill for a popular pilgrimage site. "We heard a huge sound and it was followed by a flash flood and slush. People were shouting, and some of them fell in the Chenab River. Others were buried under the debris," said Rakesh Sharma, a pilgrim who was injured. Bags, clothes and other belongings, caked in mud, lay scattered amid broken electric poles and mud on Friday, as rescue workers used shovels, ropes and crossed makeshift bridges in an attempt to extricate people out of the debris. "We were told that another 100-150 people might be buried under the debris," one rescue worker told news agency ANI. The Machail Yatra is a popular pilgrimage to the high altitude Himalayan shrine of Machail Mata, one of the manifestations of Goddess Durga, and pilgrims trek to the temple from Chasoti, where the road for vehicles ends. Thursday's incident comes a little over a week after a flood and mudslide engulfed an entire village in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. "Nature has been testing us. In the last few days, we have had to deal with landslides, cloudbursts and other natural calamities," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the start of a nearly two-hour speech on the country's 79th independence day. A cloudburst, according to the Indian Meteorological Department, is a sudden, intense downpour of over 100mm of rain in just one hour that can trigger sudden floods, landslides, and devastation, especially in mountainous regions during the monsoon. [[nid:720695]]
New Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Climate
- New Indian Express
Death toll rises to 60, over 100 injured in J&K's Kishtwar cloudburst; rescue operations intensify
SRINAGAR: A day after a devastating cloudburst struck the remote Chositi village in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district, killing 60 persons and injuring over 100 others, a massive rescue operation is underway to save dozens feared trapped beneath debris and mud. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said 60 people have so far died in the cloudburst. He said over 100 have been injured and many others are still missing. "We don't have the exact number of the missing people," the CM said. An official said the injured persons have been evacuated to different hospitals for specialised treatment. The condition of 35 injured is stated to be critical. The official said the death toll is likely to go up. 'As of now, 69 persons are missing as their family members have approached the administration and informed about the missing of their wards,' the official said. The official said a rescue operation by SDRF, police, civil administration personnel and NDRF teams is going on. The local volunteers and residents are also assisting in the rescue operation. A massive cloudburst struck Chositi, the last motorable village en route to the Machail Mata temple in Kishtwar district, at around noon yesterday. The cloudburst triggered a flash flood and mudslide in Chositi village, which was abuzz with activities as people in large numbers have been visiting the area since the start of the Machail Mata Yatra on July 25. The pilgrims have to travel 8.5 km from the road to the 9,500-feet-high temple from Chositi village. The temple lies two villages ahead, and the devotees have to pass through Chositi. A volunteer said nobody knows the exact number of missing people as a large number of people were present at the site when the cloudburst hit the village, triggering the flash flood and mudslide. 'There was a parking lot and langar (community kitchen) in the area. Besides, there was a paramilitary camp in the area. Locals had also set up shops in view of the yatra,' DDC chairperson Kishtwar Pooja Thakur told this newspaper.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Climate
- Straits Times
Floods and landslides in Indian Kashmir kill 60, over 100 missing
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SRINAGAR - At least 60 people have died and more than 100 are missing, a day after sudden, heavy rain caused floods and landslides in Indian Kashmir, authorities and local media said on Friday, the second such disaster in the Himalayas in a little over a week. Gushing mudslides and floodwaters inundated the village of Chasoti in Indian Kashmir on Thursday, washing away pilgrims who had gathered for lunch before trekking up the hill for a popular pilgrimage site. "We heard a huge sound and it was followed by a flash flood and slush. People were shouting, and some of them fell in the Chenab River. Others were buried under the debris," said Rakesh Sharma, a pilgrim who was injured. Bags, clothes and other belongings, caked in mud, lay scattered amid broken electric poles and mud on Friday, as rescue workers used shovels, ropes and crossed makeshift bridges in an attempt to extricate people out of the debris. "We were told that another 100-150 people might be buried under the debris," one rescue worker told news agency ANI. The Machail Yatra is a popular pilgrimage to the high altitude Himalayan shrine of Machail Mata, one of the manifestations of Goddess Durga, and pilgrims trek to the temple from Chasoti, where the road for vehicles ends. Thursday's incident comes a little over a week after a flood and mudslide engulfed an entire village in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. "Nature has been testing us. In the last few days, we have had to deal with landslides, cloudbursts and other natural calamities," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the start of a nearly two-hour speech on the country's 79th independence day. A cloudburst, according to the Indian Meteorological Department, is a sudden, intense downpour of over 100 mm (4 inches) of rain in just one hour that can trigger sudden floods, landslides, and devastation, especially in mountainous regions during the monsoon. REUTERS
Focus Malaysia
4 hours ago
- Climate
- Focus Malaysia
At least 56 killed after torrential rains trigger flash floods in Kashmir
At least 56 people have been killed and dozens more remain missing after a sudden cloudburst unleashed torrential rain in Indian-administered Kashmir, authorities said, marking the second major disaster in the Himalayas in just over a week. The deluge struck Chisoti, a town in Kishtwar district, on Thursday morning. The site serves as a key stop along the pilgrimage route to the Machail Mata temple, a revered Himalayan shrine dedicated to Goddess Durga. Officials say more than 100 are injured, and hundreds remain missing. Rescue teams are searching for survivors. —Aug 15, 2025 Main image: Getty Images
7NEWS
4 hours ago
- Climate
- 7NEWS
Sudden heavy rain triggers flash floods in Indian Kashmir, leaving at least 46 dead
At least 46 people have died and more than 200 are missing following sudden, heavy rain in Indian Kashmir. It is the second such disaster in the Himalayas in a little over a week. The incident occurred in Chasoti town of Kishtwar district, a stopover point on a popular pilgrimage route. It comes a little over a week after a heavy flood and mudslide engulfed an entire village in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. The flood on Thursday washed away a community kitchen and a security post set up in the village, a pit stop along the pilgrimage route to the Machail Mata temple, said one of the officials who declined to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media about the incident. 'A large number of pilgrims had gathered for lunch and they were washed away,' the official said. The Machail yatra is a popular pilgrimage to the high altitude Himalayan shrine of Machail Mata, one of the manifestations of Goddess Durga, and pilgrims trek to the temple from Chasoti, where the road for vehicles ends. 'The news is grim and accurate, verified information from the area hit by the cloudburst is slow in arriving,' Omar Abdullah, the chief minister of India's federal territory of Jammu and Kashmir, said in a post on X. Television footage showed pilgrims crying in fear as water flooded the village. The disaster occurred at 11.30 am local time, Ramesh Kumar, the divisional commissioner of Kishtwar district, told news agency ANI, adding that local police and disaster response officials had reached the scene. 'Army, air force teams have also been activated. Search and rescue operations are underway,' Kumar said. A cloudburst, according to the Indian Meteorological Department, is a sudden intense downpour of more than 100mm of rain in just one hour that can trigger sudden floods, landslides and devastation, especially in mountainous regions during the monsoon. The local weather office in Srinagar predicted intense showers for several regions in Kashmir on Thursday, asking residents to stay away from loose structures, electric poles and old trees as there was a possibility of mudslides and flash floods.
