Kishtwar cloudburst: 60 dead, 69 missing, over 100 hurt; PM Modi promises all assistance

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday and assured them all help in the wake of a cloudburst in Kishtwar district that has killed at least 60 people and injured more than 100, officials said.

A massive flash flood triggered by the cloudburst struck the remote mountain village of Chisoti in Kishtwar on Thursday. Authorities have so far identified 30 of the bodies retrieved, the officials said.

Modi spoke with Abdullah and Sinha and took stock of the situation.

In a post on X, the prime minister said, "Spoke to Jammu and Kashmir LG, Shri Manoj Sinha Ji and CM Shri Omar Abdullah Ji regarding the situation in the wake of the cloudburst and flooding in Kishtwar."

"Authorities are working on the ground to assist those affected," he added.

Earlier, addressing an Independence-Day function at Srinagar's Bakshi Stadium, Abdullah said at least 60 people have been killed and more than 100 injured in the tragic incident.

There were two Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel among the deceased.

To identify the deceased, the authorities shared their pictures through a WhatsApp group with the affected families, resulting in the identification of 30 of them.

More than 160 people have so far been rescued and the condition of 38 of them is said to be serious.

The officials said the death toll could go up as more people are believed to be trapped.

The Union Territory administration has set up a control room-cum-help desk in Paddar, about 15 km from Chositi, to assist people and pilgrims.

Five officials have been put on duty at the control room. The numbers provided are – 98582 23125, 60067 01934, 97975 04078, 84928 86895, 84938 01381, and 70064 63710.

Since the tragedy struck, the help desk has received scores of distress calls, the officials said, adding that the authorities are trying to trace 69 people reported missing by their families at the help desk.

"We have shared the pictures of the bodies with them," an official said.

There are two villages ahead of the cloudburst-hit belt -- Machail and Hamori -- where hundreds of people are stranded, the officials said, adding that their mobile phone batteries have been exhausted due to the snapping of the power supply to the belt following the disaster.

Once contact is established, authorities will get to know the exact whereabouts of these people, they said.

Fresh search operations will also dig out more victims from the debris and mud in the area, the officials said.

The villagers said they had seen 10 bodies floating in the Chenab river.

Chisoti, a base camp for the annual Machail Mata Yatra, was bustling with pilgrims when the disaster struck between noon and 1 pm on Thursday.

A large number of people had gathered there for the pilgrimage that began on July 25 and was scheduled to end on September 5. The 8.5-km trek to the 9,500-foot shrine begins from Chisoti, which is located about 90 km from Kishtwar town. The yatra remained suspended for the second day on Friday.

The floods, accompanied by mudslides and debris flows, buried houses, shops and vehicles.

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

The flash floods also swept away a security camp and several vehicles parked at the bus stand. A temple in the middle of the flooded area miraculously survived.