10 houses, 6 Govt buildings, bridge, Langar-shed washed away
*Many Machail Mata pilgrims missing; SDRF, Army, Police, BRO launch Ops
*Dr Jitendra, LGs, Azad express grief over tragedy
Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Aug 14: A massive cloudburst struck a remote mountain village of Paddar Sub Division in Kishtwar district, killing at least 45 people including two CISF personnel and many Machail Mata pilgrims while two persons died in landslide and wall collapse incidents in Rajouri today..
CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO
The death toll could go up as more people are believed to be trapped under the debris and mud, officials said, adding that more than 120 people have been rescued so far. Of these, the condition of 38 is said to be serious. Scores of people are said to be still missing.
While a large-scale rescue operation was already launched by SDRF, police, Army and local volunteers, the authorities have mobilised more rescuers, including two fresh teams of NDRF to safeguard lives.
Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp
The disaster struck Chashoti, the last motorable village en-route Machail Mata temple, at around 12.25 pm on Thursday. A large number of people had gathered there for the annual Machail Mata yatra, which commenced on July 25 and was scheduled to end on September 5. About 9 kms trek to the 9,500-feet-high shrine begins from Chashoti village.
The residential houses, six Government buildings, three temples, four water mills (Gharats), two cattle sheds and 30 mts span bridge in Chashoti area and down stream were washed away/damaged in the flash flood. Over a dozen of vehicles have been damaged or washed away in the flash flood.
Several electric polls were also uprooted with the flash flood, snapping the power supply to the Machail and Chashoti besides adjoining villages and hamlets.
Chashoti is about 17 kms from Gulabgarh (Paddar). A ‘langar’ (community kitchen) set up for the devotees here bore the brunt of the cloudburst, which led to flash floods and washed away several structures including temporary shops and a security outpost. Unconfirmed number of pilgrims taking meals at the Langar shed/ Pandal washed away in the flash flood.
Immediately after the calamity struck, Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar Pankaj Kumar Sharma, along with the Senior Superintendent of Police, Naresh Singh mobilised rescue teams and headed towards the spot to personally supervise the operations.
The officials said two more NDRF teams were mobilised from Jammu later to speed up the rescue efforts. Army’s White Knight Corps said efforts are on to safeguard lives and aid the survivors.
Officials said the langar was packed with devotees when the calamity struck. Many of them were taking meals while sitting on the ground when the flash flood struck. They could not find time to escape, while some of the Langar operators/cooks managed to flee listening warning whistles.
“A massive cloudburst in Chashoti area, which could result in substantial casualty. Administration has immediately swung into action, rescue team has left for the site,” Union Minister Jitendra Singh said in a post on X. The Minister said he also spoke to Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner on the matter and was in constant touch with the Administration.
Lt Governor Manoj Sinha condoled the loss of lives in the Paddar incident.
“Anguished by cloudburst in Kishtwar. Condolences to bereaved families and prayers for quick recovery of injured. Directed Civil, Police, Army, NDRF & SDRF officials to strengthen the rescue and relief operations and ensure all possible assistance is provided to the affected.
“Rescue and Relief Operations at Chashoti are in full swing. Men and machinery have been put at the site. Other teams have also been rushed. Briefed Union Home Minister Amit Shah on rescue and relief operations by various agencies. He has assured all possible assistance.
I want to assure all the affected families that Government stands shoulder to shoulder with them in this hour of crisis. Air Force has also been alerted for evacuation. I am constantly monitoring the situation,” the Lt Governor said on X.
Lt Governor of Ladakh, Kavinder Gupta, has expressed deep sorrow over the tragic loss of lives caused by a massive cloudburst and resulting into flash floods in Chashoti, Kishtwar.In his message, Gupta conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured.
“Words cannot lessen the grief of the families who have lost their loved ones in this calamity. My prayers and thoughts are with them in this hour of profound sorrow. I also commend the tireless efforts of the rescue and relief teams working in difficult conditions to save lives,” the Lt Governor said.
Leader of Opposition in Assembly, Sunil Kumar Sharma said he had received information from his workers that a massive cloudburst has occurred. “At the moment, I don’t think anyone has exact figures but I believe there could be significant damage in the area,” he said, adding that there were a lot of people gathered for the yatra.
Both Sunil Sharma (MLA Paddar) and MLA Kishtwar, Shagun Parihar also visited the spot to supervise the rescue operation. They also shared the grief of the people who lost their dear ones in the natural calamity.
Former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad also expressed grief over the incident.
“Deeply saddened by the cloudburst in Chashoti, Kishtwar. Heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured. Urge the govt to immediately carry out rescue & relief operations and ensure all possible assistance and treatment for those affected,” he said in a post on X.
Dy Commissioner Kishtwar, Pankaj Sharma said that Yatra to the Machail Mata shrine was suspended following the tragedy as the authorities mobilised all resources for rescue operations at Chashoti. He said teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were rushed from Udhampur to Kishtwar. 118 RCC of BRO also rushed its men and machinery to the area and joined operation to clear the damaged Chashoti road and raise a temporary bridge. The assistance of the Army has also been sought in the operation, he added.
“Massive rescue operations have been started in the area,” said the Deputy Commissioner, who was surprising rescue operation along with SSP Kishtwar Naresh Singh on ths spot.
Deputy Commissioner further said that four to five JCBs were engaged at the site to remove the debris/ mud etc and search for the missing persons. He said battery/ gen sets operated flood- lights were being used to carry on operation during night. He said senior Army, NDRF/SDRF officers were also supervising the operation.
SSP Naresh Singh said that flash floods hit several houses clustered together in the foothills. The teams of SDRF, Police, Army etc were on the job. There was chaos and panic in the area and it was hard to ascertain how many people were still missing. But most of them are said to be pilgrims. Some of the dead bodies could be identified but many of them are yet to be identified.
Army has also joined the relief and rescue operation at the cloudburst-hit area of Paddar in Kishtwar district.
“In the aftermath of a cloudburst at the Chashoti village in Kishtwar, troops of the White Knight swiftly mobilised for relief and rescue operations,” a Jammu-based Defence PRO said.
The efforts are centred on safeguarding lives and aiding survivors, he said, adding that the search for the missing continues. The Army said that relief stores, medical teams and rescue gear have been rushed to the site.
An official at Kishtwar said that till late night, 11 dead bodies could be identified. 67 injured were shifted to District Hospital Kishtwar while some serious patients were being further referred to GMC Jammu.
The deceased included– Meenakshi, daughter of Balbir Kumar from Pancheri in Udhampur; Ramesh Kumar haling from Dhandyal in Udhampur; Anand Kumar, son of Gopi Chand from Hauz Khas Delhi; Palak Sharma, daughter of Neeraj Sharma from Narwal Jammu; Neha Devi resident of Ward No. 4 Gomanasan; Arushi Devi and Sharda residents of Assar; Amit Kumar Sharma, son of Thouru Ram from Akhnoor; Sunil Kumar, son of Parshotam Dass from Barmeen ( Udh); Bimla Devi, wife of Late Suraj Parkash from Bajarni Doda and Monika Mehra, wife of Ajay Mehra resident of Jammu. Seriously injured Pushpa devi, resident of Roopnagar Jammu died while being shifted to Jammu from Kishtwar hospital.
A senior Health official said that in the aftermath of the devastating cloudburst in Paddar area of Kishtwar the J&K Health & Medical Education Department implemented a comprehensive series of measures to augment healthcare services and ensure optimal patient care for the affected population.
Critical Health Infrastructure was reinforced at Sub-District Hospital (SDH), Padder with an additional deployment of 13 doctors and 31 paramedics. Seniors officers of the department are stationed at Padder, overseeing rescue and medical operations.
District Hospital (DH) Kishtwar has also been bolstered with the additional deployment of General Surgeons, Orthopaedic Surgeons, and Anaesthetists from Government Medical College (GMC) Doda.
Additionally tertiary care institutions have been put in a state of full readiness. A team comprising of specialists has been readied at GMC Doda to manage patients being referred from DH Kishtwar.
GMC Jammu is in full operational readiness with 50 dedicated disaster beds, 20 ventilator beds, and 5 operational Operation Theatres (OTs). Specialist medical teams comprising of Orthopaedicians, Neurosurgeons, Critical Care Anaesthetists, Maxillo-Facial consultants are on standby. The GMC Jammu Blood Bank has augmented 200 plus units of blood available for any exigency.
To assist in the response to the situation, PGIMER Chandigarh has dispatched a specialized team comprising Critical Care Specialists and Neurosurgeons to GMC Jammu to further enhance critical care patient care capabilities.
Immediately following the incident, a large fleet of 65 ambulances from the Health department, NHPC, Army, CRPF and 108 Emergency Service of the J&K Health and Medical Education department was deployed for rescue and patient transfer.
Reports from Rajouri said that heavy rainfall measuring 108 mm in the last 24 hours have caused widespread destruction across Rajouri district, severely disrupting normal life. Torrential rains have damaged more than a dozen houses, left several roads blocked due to landslides, and caused extensive damage to public infrastructure.
A highway worker Mohd Farooq, son of Hidayat Khan from Manyal Gali Thannamandi lost his life, while two others sustained injuries after being buried under debris during the rains on the road.
In a separate incident in the Khargala area of Kalakot sub-division, 7-year-old Waqar Ali and 2-year-old Zainab Firdaus were injured when a house collapsed. According to BMO Kalakot Dr Iqbal Malik, both children were given first aid locally and later referred to GMC Rajouri. While Zainab is stable, Waqar Ali’s condition remains critical.
Preliminary figures from the district administration indicate that over 100 electricity poles have been damaged, leading to widespread power outages, particularly in the hilly areas of the district. Officials warn that the damage may rise as assessments continue. Many affected families have been shifted to safer locations to avoid further loss of life or injury.
In Kheora area of Rajouri city, a local drain overflowed, flooding shops and homes and causing significant property loss. Panic spread in the Sukhtoi River area when a man grazing cattle left stranded midstream due to sudden flash flood. Swift action by the SDRF, Police, and local residents led to his rescue after two hours of intense efforts.
The incessant rains have triggered road blockages in several areas, including Kotarnka-Khawas, Khawas-Dhaleri, Samot-Targai, Kotarnka-Shahpur, Manjakot-Patrada, Thannamandi-DKG, and Darhal-Dodaj, bringing traffic movement to a complete halt in these routes.
A 5th class girl- Sanjli Sharma, daughter of Sanjay Sharma resident of Dhok Banyar died after wall and wash room of a private school collapsed at Baja Bain in Sunderbani area today. Two other girls survived with minor injuries. It was raining heavily with thunder storm in the area when the incident took place.
The district administration has assured that relief and rehabilitation measures are underway, with priority being given to restoring essential services and clearing blocked roads to normalize public life at the earliest.
Continuous heavy rainfall in Mendhar and parts of Poonch on Thursday caused rivers and streams to overflow, severely impacting normal life in the region. Rising water levels forced the closure of several key routes. The Mendhar-Poonch road was blocked for around three hours as water flowed over the Dhakki Bridge, halting traffic in both directions. Similarly, the Mendhar-Jammu road was closed for nearly four hours near Tara Kas in Sangla Chowk after river water flooded the roadway, leaving commuters stranded.
In another incident, a Tata Sumo was swept into a river at Kasbaladi village in the Mankote block after water overflowed onto the road. Fortunately, all 7 to 8 passengers onboard were rescued in time.
The Sakhi Maidan area also witnessed water flowing over a bridge, cutting off access to several rural areas. Authorities and police personnel rushed to the affected locations, urging people to stay away from rivers, streams, and hilly areas.
Several parts of the Mendhar town also reported water-logging, adding to the difficulties faced by residents. Reasi-Mahore-Chassana-Budhal, Gulabbgarh and Mahore-Gool roads have also been closed due to landslides.
Flooded river Chenab was flowing near alert mark this evening in Akhnoor area. There was heavy rain in the upper reaches and the water level was constantly rising since noon. Nearly 31.3 ft water level was recorded in the river at around 7.30 pm today. An alert was sounded in the low lying area of Akhnoor including Pargwal, Indri Pattan, Jourian and Khour area. The flood gates at Salad dam were also opened in the evening.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
