JAMMU: Relief and rescue operations continued for the third day on Saturday in Jammu and Kashmir’s (J&K) Kishtwar district as so far 60 dead bodies were recovered and over 100 injured people were evacuated to hospitals for treatment. Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah reached Kishtwar on Friday evening and would be reaching the disaster site at Chashoti village today.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to J&K Lieutenant-Governor and the Chief Minister and assured all possible help.
The cloudburst disaster triggering flash floods caused such colossal damage after many years in J&K.
A coordinated rescue and relief operation continued for the third consecutive day on Saturday in Chashoti village where 60 people lost their lives and over 100 others were injured.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh, accompanied by Jammu and Kashmir DGP Nalin Prabhat, visited the devastated village late on Friday night and reviewed ongoing rescue and relief efforts carried out by the police, Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Border Roads Organisation (BRO), civil administration, and local volunteers operating in the high-altitude terrain.
So far, 46 bodies have been identified and handed over to their next of kin after completion of legal formalities.
Meanwhile, 75 people have been reported missing by their families, although locals and eyewitnesses claim that hundreds may have been swept away by flash floods and buried under giant boulders, logs, and rubble.
Among the deceased were two personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and a Special Police Officer (SPO) of the local police, the officials added.
The disaster struck Chashoti the last motorable village en route to the Machail Mata temple — at approximately 12:25 P.M. on August 14.