Rajnath visits Kishtwar cloudburst victims at Jammu hospital

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is very concerned about the recent cloudburst in a remote village in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday after meeting some of the victims undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College Hospital here.

Expressing satisfaction over the treatment of the injured, Rajnath Singh said his plan to visit the cloudburst-hit area could not materialise due to inclement weather and a fresh landslide on the road en route.

The Defence Minister was accompanied by Union minister and Udhampur MP Jitendra Singh and J-K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.

After landing here from Delhi, the Defence Minister went straight to the hospital to meet the 16 people undergoing treatment there. He was briefed by a team of doctors on the condition of the patients.

The cloudburst struck Chisoti, the last motorable village en route the Machail Mata temple, on August 14, killing 65 people and injuring over 100. Thirty-two people missing since are yet to be found.

Briefly talking to reporters before leaving the hospital for Raj Bhavan, Rajnath Singh said, “The Prime Minister is very concerned and is monitoring the situation. I had planned to visit the spot but couldn't due to inclement weather and a landslide (at Pathernaki)… We are now going to the Raj Bhavan where we will talk to the (affected) people through videoconferencing.”

Lauding the doctors for taking good care of those admitted to the hospital after the incident, the Defence Minister said the injured people are recuperating satisfactorily.