J&K: At least 12 killed as massive cloudburst hits Kishtwar’s Chishoti on Machail Mata Yatra route

AT to the lowest degree 12 bodies feature been recovered after a monolithic cloudburst come to Chishoti hamlet in the Padder sub-division of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district on Thursday, news agency PTI reported, citing officials who suspected that the toll could rise. The disaster hit Chasoti, the last motorable village on the way to the Machail Mata temple, between 12 noon and 1 pm when a large number of people had gathered for the Machail Mata yatra. From there begins the 8.5 km trek to the shrine.Chasoti is at an altitude of 9,500 ft and about 90 km from Kishtwar. A 'langar' set up for devotees bore the brunt of the cloudburst, which led to flash floods.Union minister Jitendra Singh said he spoke to Kishtwar deputy commissioner Pankaj Kumar Sharma after being alerted by leader of opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly and local MLA Sunil Kumar Sharma.“Massive cloud burst in Chositi area, which could result in substantial casualty. Administration has immediately swung into action, rescue team has left for the site. Damage evaluation and necessary rescue and medical management arrangements are being made. My office is receiving regular updates, all possible assistance will be provided,” Jitendra Singh posted on X.J&K CM Omar Abdullah reactsJammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said he spoke to Union home minister Amit Shah and updated him about the situation.“I just spoke to the Union Home Minister @AmitSha Sb to brief him about the developing situation in Kishtwar region of Jammu. The news is grim & accurate, verified information from the area hit by the cloud burst is slow in arriving. All possible resources are being mobilised from within & beyond J&K to manage the rescue operations. I’m not going to be speaking to channels or news agencies. The government will share information as & when possible,” he posted on X.Watch the video here: Reacting to the incident, Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha said he has directed civil, police, army, NDRF and SDRF officials to strengthen the rescue and relief operations.“Anguished by cloudburst in Chositi Kishtwar. Condolences to bereaved families & prayers for quick recovery of injured. Directed Civil, Police, Army, NDRF & SDRF officials to strengthen the rescue & relief operations and ensure all possible assistance is provided to the affected,” he posted on X.The country is experiencing heavy monsoon rainfall, with hilly areas being the worst affected, especially in Uttarakhand. Cloudbursts, floods, and landslides have caused significant loss of life and property.Earlier, roads were blocked in Nandprayag in Chamoli district due to a landslide following rainfall, days after the cloudburst in Uttarkashi, which left behind a trail of destructionDistrict magistrate of Chamoli district Sandeep Tiwari said work is going on to open the road blocked due to the landslide in Nandprayag due to rain.He added that apart from this, all the roads in the district are smooth.The bridge connecting Uttarkashi to Harsil has been reconstructed to facilitate easy movement of machinery and relief material in the aftermath of the cloudburst and flash floods that caused mass destruction in Dharali and Harsil of Uttarkashi district on August 5.A massive mudslide struck Dharali village in the Kheer Gad area near Harsil, triggering a sudden flow of debris and water through the settlements on August 5. The cloudburst led to flash floods in the high-altitude villages of Dharali. Several houses were reported to have been swept away.Himachal flash floods: 396 roads closed, houses damaged Cloudbursts and flash floods in several districts of Himachal Pradesh caused massive destruction, with 396 roads closed for traffic, houses damaged, vehicles washed away and some panchayats in Shimla cut off.No loss of life has been reported, officials said on Thursday.Since Wednesday night, Kandaghat has received 100 mm of rainfall, Jatton Barrage 87 mm, Una 85.4 mm, Solan 81.4 mm, Olinda 76 mm, Shillaroo 73 mm, Shimla 69 mm, Kufri 66 mm, Jubbarhatti 65.2 mm, Kasauli 62 mm, Kothi 61.2, Murrai Devi 51.8 and Dharampur 50.2 mm.The local meteorological office has issued a 'yellow' alert, warning of heavy rain at isolated places in the state till August 20.Cloudbursts and flash floods hit several places in Shimla, Kullu, Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti districts on Wednesday evening.(With inputs from ANI, PTI)