Hope of finding survivors fades as Kishtwar flashflood toll touches 60

As hopes of finding persons missing after a flashflood triggered by a cloudburst at Chositi village in Kishtwar district of Jammu & Kashmir began to ebb, the death toll in the August 14 tragedy has risen to 60.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who visited the village on Saturday, said 70-80 persons were still missing. “Some reports say 500 to 1,000 persons may be missing, but I don’t think the number would be that much,” the Chief Minister told mediapersons. He said 60 bodies had been recovered from the debris.

The rescue operation continued for the third day. A large number of residential and other structures were damaged in the flashflood. A majority of those killed in the tragedy were pilgrims, who had come to pay obeisance at the Machail Mata temple in the area. The victims mostly belonged to the Jammu region. Several families whose members are missing are camping at the village waiting anxiously for some news from the authorities.

The Army, the NDRF and the civil administration among others are carrying out the rescue operation and are working day and night.

Families fume over VIP visits

Family members of the victims expressed anger over the visits of VIPs to Chositi village alleging that it was hindering the relief and rescue work. A youth whose family members are missing told Omar that only two JCBs were working at the site and these too were stopped whenever a VIP visited the area. Abdullah spoke to several families and assured them of all help.

“It is possible that some people were swept away in the gushing waters. We are trying to find them or their bodies so that they can be handed over to the families,” said Omar.

Upon his arrival, Omar was briefed by Army personnel and used a virtual reality headset to assess the scale of destruction.

Omar announced ex gratia assistance from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. He said the families of those killed would receive Rs 2 lakh each, while those who sustained severe injuries would get Rs 1 lakh and those with minor injuries Rs 50,000. Besides, he announced Rs 1 lakh for fully damaged houses, Rs 50,000 for severely damaged and Rs 25,000 for partially damaged.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh, who also visited the village to assess the damage, said local residents were the first to swing into action when everyone was taken by surprise by the massive cloudburst.

The minister said all help was being provided to the affected area in spite of weather constraints as the situation was not allowing flights to operate. He said for the past two days, two helicopters carrying necessary equipment were stationed at Udhampur waiting for the weather to improve.

Meanwhile, in a statement, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha said he spoke to senior officials and took stock of the rescue operation at Kishtwar. “I will ensure the reconstruction of homes damaged in flashflood. I’ve directed the officials to ensure immediate relief and uninterrupted essential supplies to those affected.”