Death Toll in Kishtwar Cloudburst Climbs to 63, Two More Bodies Retrieved from Debris
Kishtwar, KNT: The grim aftermath of last week’s cloudburst in Kishtwar’s Chisoti village deepened on Monday as rescuers pulled out two more bodies from the rubble, pushing the official death count to 63. The operation, now into its fifth day, is being carried out under persistent rainfall and treacherous terrain conditions, yet search teams continue to fan out across the disaster-hit hamlet.
Officials said the latest recoveries included a woman whose body was found in a gorge near Kukundra village, and another victim discovered buried under debris close to a temple site. Both bodies were retrieved this afternoon as part of a large-scale multi-agency effort. With the toll mounting, authorities confirmed that three CISF personnel and a Special Police Officer are among the dead.
Rescue teams equipped with earth-movers, heavy machinery and dog squads remained active around the langar (community kitchen) site, believed to have borne the brunt of the deluge. The Army’s White Knight Corps said that five columns are presently on ground, assisted by additional medical teams. It noted that despite harsh conditions, a Bailey bridge was erected across the Chisoti stream on August 17, restoring vital connectivity to the cut-off village and facilitating relief supplies.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday deputed ten senior IAS and IPS officers to Chisoti, assigning one civil and one police officer on rotation every two days over the coming week to oversee the relief operations. The order, issued by Commissioner-Secretary M Raju, underlined that close monitoring at the highest level was essential given the scale of the tragedy.
The cloudburst of August 14 unleashed flash floods that flattened a makeshift market and langar facilities for the Machail Mata yatra, washed away a 30-metre bridge, damaged 16 houses, three temples, government buildings, and several water mills. More than a dozen vehicles were also destroyed. Controlled blasts have been carried out over the past two days to clear giant boulders obstructing the search.
Authorities said 167 people have been rescued so far, while the list of missing has been revised to 39 after fresh verification. Joint teams of the Army, NDRF, SDRF, CISF, police, BRO, civil administration and local volunteers continue combing operations, using all-terrain vehicles and specialised equipment.
A CISF officer involved in the mission admitted that heavy rains and fresh weather alerts are hampering progress, but stressed that combined forces are “trying their best” to recover those still missing. The annual Machail Mata pilgrimage, which passes through Chisoti en route to the 9,500-foot shrine, remains suspended for the fifth consecutive day, although a symbolic Charri procession from Jammu has been permitted. [KNT]
