60 dead in Kishtwar cloudburst: Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah briefs PM Modi

'I just received a call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I briefed him about the situation in Kishtwar and the steps being taken by the administration,' Abdullah wrote in a post on X.

Srinagar: Rescue teams continued to battle treacherous terrain and swollen streams on Friday, a day after a sudden, intense cloudburst over Chosoti — the last motorable point on the Machail Mata pilgrimage route in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district — triggered flash floods that left a trail of destruction and grief.

The disaster struck around midday on Thursday, when hundreds of pilgrims had gathered for lunch near the banks of a mountain stream. Within moments, torrents of muddy water and boulders swept away temporary shelters, vehicles, community kitchens, and even security posts stationed along the route.

Officials confirmed that at least 60 people, including two personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), lost their lives in the calamity.

“More than 300 people have been rescued so far, about 50 of them in critical condition,” a senior disaster management officer said. “However, over 250 are still missing, and the search continues under extremely challenging conditions.”

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who addressed the Independence Day function in Srinagar, confirmed the death toll and warned that the number could rise as rescuers comb through debris downstream. He flew to Kishtwar later in the day to personally oversee the operations.

The pilgrim trail to Machail Mata shrine, nestled deep in the Himalayan ranges, is one of the region’s most arduous and is usually manned by security forces, volunteers, and local service providers during the yatra season.

Witnesses said the cloudburst lasted only a few minutes but unleashed a wall of water strong enough to uproot trees and dismantle tin-roofed langars (community kitchens) in seconds.

Authorities have deployed multiple teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Army engineering units, along with helicopters, to ferry survivors and the injured to safer locations. However, rescuers face difficulties due to damaged bridges, blocked roads and continuous rain in the higher reaches.

Local residents, who joined the rescue efforts, recounted scenes of chaos. “People were screaming, holding on to whatever they could. Within minutes, everything was gone — tents, people, even the police posts,” said Ramesh, a shopkeeper from a nearby hamlet.

While cloudbursts are not uncommon in the Himalayan belt during the monsoon, experts have long warned that climate change is intensifying extreme weather events in the region. The upper reaches of Kishtwar, with their steep slopes, loose soil, and narrow gorges, remain especially vulnerable.