Srinagar: Two days after a devastating cloudburst hit Chasoti village in Kishtwar district, a story of survival has rekindled hope in the grieving region.

Subhash Chandra, a langar sevak from Udhampur, was rescued alive after being trapped under debris for nearly 30 hours, igniting fresh optimism among search teams and anxious relatives.

According to the details available with KNO Subhash had been running a community kitchen (langar) for Machail Mata Yatra pilgrims, a voluntary service he had undertaken for years.

Every pilgrimage season, he would join fellow sevaks in feeding thousands of devotees who trek the rugged path to the shrine. “For him, serving pilgrims wasn’t just social work, it was spiritual service,” said one of his colleagues, still helping with relief efforts.

On August 14, at around 12:25 PM, a cloudburst-triggered flash flood swept through Chasoti, flattening homes, shops, temples, and the langar site. Logs, mud, and boulders rolled down the slopes, burying everything in their path. Subhash was among the many feared dead after the floods tore through his langar site.

But on Saturday, hope resurfaced. Rescuers, while clearing debris with the help of excavators and controlled blasts, heard faint sounds under the rubble. It was Subhash, dehydrated, injured, but alive. “He’s breathing! He’s alive!” shouted a rescuer, moments before Subhash was pulled out and taken to a medical facility.

Mukesh, a nearby volunteer said, “Jisko uparwala zindagi dena chahta hai, usse koi nahi le sakta. Subhash is proof of that. We hope more will be found alive.”

While his survival offers a rare miracle, the overall picture remains grim. At least 82 people including 81 pilgrims and CISF personnel remain missing, while 60 deaths have been confirmed.

Over 160 others have been rescued, some with severe injuries. As of now, 50 bodies have been identified and handed over to families.

Authorities continue rescue operations with the Army, NDRF, SDRF, BRO, and police coordinating efforts, even using controlled blasting to move massive boulders. The Machail Mata Yatra remains suspended, and Chisoti continues to mourn. (KNO)

Srinagar: Tragedy struck Chasoti village in Kishtwar district when a sudden cloudburst on August 14 led to devastating loss and heartache for a local family returning from the revered Machail Mata pilgrimage.

At approximately 12:30 pm, heavy rainfall triggered a cloudburst, causing landslides and trapping several residents under debris.

Shamlal (52), a resident of Flora village in the Madh assembly constituency, was found dead beneath the rubble on Thursday. His wife, Sushma Devi (42), and daughter, Isha Bajotra (24), remain missing, with fears they may have been swept away or perished in the disaster.

A close relative, speaking to KNO, said Shamlal operated a flour mill and also worked as a horse cart driver to support his househol.

He had left Flora with his wife, daughter, and several relatives early Monday morning for the Machail pilgrimage. On their return journey, disaster struck as they neared Chasoti. While some relatives had moved ahead, Shamlal, his wife, and daughter were caught in the cloudburst’s aftermath.

Shamlal’s son, Ayush (22), who had stayed home, is now the only surviving member of the immediate family. Isha, the couple’s elder daughter, had recently completed her Master’s in Science, while Ayush is pursuing stenography after completing his 12th grade.

News of Shamlal’s death has left the Flora village community in shock and mourning. Neighbours and relatives gathered at the family’s home, offering condolences as the family grappled with the loss and the uncertainty surrounding Sushma Devi and Isha’s fate.

Shamlal’s elder brother, Harbans Lal, shared the family’s anguish, saying, “We only pray to Mata Rani for a miracle, hoping Sushma Devi and Isha return safely.”

The deceased’s body was brought home on Friday night, with his last rites performed on Saturday. His son Ayush lit the funeral pyre, now left waiting and hoping for news of his missing mother and sister. (KNO)

Srinagar: Two days after a cloudburst hit Chasoti village in Kishtwar district, rescuers on Saturday used explosives to break massive boulders that were blocking access to the worst-hit sites, as anxious relatives clung to fading hope on the third day of the search for the missing.

Officials told KNO that 82 people, including 81 pilgrims and a CISF personnel, remain untraced, while 60 persons among them three CISF personnel and a Special Police Officer have been confirmed dead. Around 167 others have been rescued, several with critical injuries. So far, 50 bodies have been identified and handed over to families after legal formalities.

The cloudburst, which struck around 12.25 pm on August 14, triggered flash floods that swept away a makeshift market, a community kitchen set up for the Machail Mata yatra, and a security outpost.

At least 16 houses and government buildings, three temples, four water mills, a 30-metre bridge and over a dozen vehicles were also damaged. Giant rocks carried by the water remain scattered across the village.

With chances of survival narrowing by the hour, police, Army, NDRF, SDRF, BRO, civil administration and local volunteers have intensified the search. Nearly a dozen earth-movers have been deployed, and specialised NDRF teams with dog squads are working on the ground.

Officials said blasting was unavoidable to clear oversized boulders that machinery could not move.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who visited Chasoti on Saturday, announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to families of those killed, Rs 1 lakh for the grievously injured and Rs 50,000 for those with minor injuries. For structural losses, he announced Rs 1 lakh for fully damaged houses, Rs 50,000 for severely damaged and Rs 25,000 for partially damaged ones.

“This is only a measure of solidarity and immediate relief. The government will extend all possible help both immediate and long-term to the affected families,” Omar said, after meeting the bereaved and walking through the devastated village. Several residents welcomed his visit, saying it gave them “some relief” amid despair.

Across districts, grief deepened as relatives waited for news. In Benagarh village near Jammu, seven residents including four children are missing; only one body has been recovered so far. In Samba district, a woman and her two daughters are among eight missing from Sarai village, while six members of a family from Vijaupur are also untraced.

From Madhya Pradesh and Haryana, at least eight pilgrims have not been heard from since Thursday; one from Himachal Pradesh is also missing.

The tragedy has cast a shadow on the annual Machail Mata yatra, which was suspended for the third consecutive day on Saturday.

The trek, which began on July 25 and was to conclude on September 5, starts from Chisoti, the last motorable point before the 9,500-foot shrine, 90 km from Kishtwar town.

With the search continued into the night, senior officials including Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Army’s Delta Force GOC Major General A P S Bal, and CISF DIG M K Yadav were present in Chisoti, while Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar, IGP Jammu Bhim Sen Tuti, DC Pankaj Kumar Sharma and SSP Naresh Singh camped on site to oversee operations.

For relatives like the parents of Vanshika and Disha from Jammu, however, official assurances bring little comfort. “I saw my world crashing before my eyes. My daughters have gone away from me,” their mother said through tears. Her husband, who has searched hospitals and mortuaries, added: “I have seen a headless body, but that was not my daughters.” (KNO)

Srinagar: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday directed officials to intensify relief and rescue operations at cloudburst hit Chashoti village in Kishtwar district.

In a post on X, the Lieutenant Governor, according to KNO wrote: “Spoke to Senior Officials and took stock of the rescue and relief operations at Chashoti, Kishtwar. I will ensure the reconstruction of homes damaged in flash floods. I’ve also directed the senior officials for immediate relief and uninterrupted essential supplies to the affected.”

Meanwhile, 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 and 75 are reported missing.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh, accompanied by Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat, visited the devastated village late 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 persons 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.

The disaster struck Chashoti—the last motorable village en route to the Machail Mata temple—at approximately 12:25 pm on August 14.

At least 16 residential houses and government buildings, three temples, four water mills, a 30-meter-long bridge, and over a dozen vehicles were also damaged in the flash floods.

Rescue efforts were intensified with the deployment of nearly a dozen earth-movers by the civil administration and the use of specialized equipment and dog squads by the NDRF. (KNO)

Srinagar: Calling the Kishtwar cloudburst a huge disaster, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday announced the ex-gratia relief to the affected families.

He said that immediate relief has been disbursed among the affected families, and adequate teams have been deployed to conduct rescue operations.

“Chief Minister’s Relief Fund will be utilised for them as well,” Omar said while speaking to reporters after meeting the affected families. He took a firsthand stock of the devastation caused by the cloudburst.

The CM, as per KNO said he can understand the feelings of the affected families, who want their beloved to be traced either alive or dead.

He said adequate teams, including NDRF, SDRF, Army, J&K Police and others, have been deployed to conduct the rescue operation, adding that a multi-pronged approach has been taken for the ongoing rescue operations.

“So far, the death count is around 60 and 70-80 are still missing. Reports quoting missing figures around 500 or 1000 are incorrect,” he said, adding that the number of unidentified bodies is approximately 4-5.

It will take time to remove the rubble from the village, but the machinery will not be removed from here, Omar said. Once the rubble is removed, the rehabilitation process will start, he added.

Terming the Kishtwar cloudburst incident a huge disaster, the Chief Minister said the death toll is possibly going to increase in triple figures. “The death toll of more than 100 people is an incredible tragedy, affecting 100 families. From this, we will see what lessons are to be learnt,” he said.

On the demand to shift the affected families from their locations, Omar said they will consult a team of experts to ensure that they are not shifted to a place that will be more prone to such occurrences.

“The hilly areas like J&K, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are prone to cloudbursts. We will consult a team of experts to make elaborate arrangements to prevent any such tragedies,” he said.

Furthermore, as a measure of solidarity and immediate relief, the Chief Minister announced ex-gratia assistance from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.

He said the families of those who lost their lives would receive financial support of Rs 2 lakh each, while those who sustained severe injuries would be given Rs 1 lakh and those with minor injuries Rs 50,000.

Similarly, for structural damages, he announced Rs 1 lakh for fully damaged houses, Rs 50,000 for severely damaged ones and Rs 25,000 for partially damaged structures.

The Chief Minister, who reached Kishtwar on Friday evening, travelled by road to the affected village early Saturday morning. Upon his arrival, he was briefed by Indian Army personnel and used a virtual reality headset to assess the scale of destruction. (KNO)