J-K cloudburst: Home Minister Amit Shah speaks to LG, DGP, says priority is to save lives

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 28

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday spoke to Jammu & Kashmir’s Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh following a cloudburst in Kishtwar district of the Union Territory leaving four people dead and 40 more missing.

In a Twitter post, Shah said, “I have spoken to the LG & DGP of Jammu & Kashmir regarding cloudburst in Kishtwar. SDRF, Army & local administration are carrying out the rescue operation. NDRF is also reaching there. Our priority is to save as many lives as possible.”

On his part, L-G Sinha is reported to have said that he spoke to senior UT authorities and Kishtwar district administration. “Army and SDRF team are working on a war footing to rescue people and trace the missing persons. I am continuously monitoring the situation,” he said.

According to senior officials of the district, so far four bodies have been recovered from the debris and eight to nine houses are damaged following cloudburst at Honzar village in Kishtwar.

SDRF Commandant General VK Singh is reported to have said that the rescue team of the force with police have left for the spot on foot. “The area is in the upper reaches of Kishtwar, not accessible by road. Jammu SDRF is on standby. Weather is inclement. One SDRF team from Srinagar is ready to be airlifted,” he added.

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