Death toll hits 46 as search intensifies for survivors in cloudburst-hit village in J&K's Kishtwar

Kishtwar/Jammu: Despite rains, the rescue and relief operations resumed early Friday after a night-long pause to look for survivors feared trapped under rubble and mud in the cloudburst-hit village in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

Several earth-movers requisitioned by the district administration have joined the operation to move giant boulders, uprooted trees, and electricity poles to speed up the rescue and relief operation, the officials said.

Disaster struck Chositi, the last motorable village on the way to Machail Mata temple, around 12.25 pm on Thursday, leaving 46 people, including two CISF personnel, dead.

A large number of people had gathered there for the annual Machail Mata yatra that began on July 25 and was scheduled to end on September 5.

The 8.5 km trek to the 9,500-feet shrine begins from Chositi, which is about 90 km from Kishtwar town. The yatra remained suspended for the second day on Friday.

So far, 167 people have been rescued in injured condition, while 69 are reported missing by their relatives. Many more are believed to be trapped following the deluge, which flattened a makeshift market, a langar (community kitchen) site for the yatra, and a security outpost.

At least 16 residential houses and government buildings, three temples, four water mills, and a 30-metre span bridge, besides over a dozen vehicles, were damaged in the flash floods in Chositi and downstream, the officials said.

The rescue and relief operation was suspended late Thursday night and was started with the first light of the day, despite the rains, with rescuers comprising police, army, NDRF, SDRF personnel, and local volunteers sifting through the rubble to find survivors.

Videos showed torrents of muddy water, silt, and rubble tearing through the steep slopes, destroying everything in the way. Houses folded over like a pack of cards, rocks came tumbling down, blocking roads and rescue paths, the mudslide turning the verdant landscape to a grim brown-grey.

Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Sharma, along with Senior Superintendent of Police, Kishtwar, Naresh Singh, are camping in the area to oversee the multi-agency operation on the ground.

The death toll went up steadily on Thursday as the day progressed, and there were fears it could rise further.

The fragile Himalayan slopes faced disaster just nine days after flash floods wreaked havoc in Dharali village of Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district. Though only one person is confirmed dead, 68 people are still reported missing.