The death toll from the devastating cloudburst in the Chashoti area of Paddar, Kishtwar, has crossed 50, with scores still missing as rescue teams battle through remote and treacherous terrain.
The disaster struck on Thursday, sending a torrent of water and debris down the route of the Shree Machail Mata Yatra. The tragedy unfolded between 12pm and 1 p.m. when thousands of devotees were making their way to the Chandi Mata Mandir in Machail. Chashoti, the last motorable point before the 8.5-kilometre trek to the shrine, bore the brunt of the cloudburst, which swept away vehicles, stalls, and sections of the pilgrimage path.
Entire stretches of the road from Padder to Chashoti were destroyed, cutting off access. Eyewitnesses described a scene of chaos and horror. They said it came like a wall of water when some people were eating at roadside stalls, some resting in vehicles, when the flood hit. Cars were overturned, and screams filled the air. Within minutes, everything was gone. Scattered belongings — shoes, prayer beads, bags — now lie embedded in silt and rubble.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called the situation grim, noting that information was trickling in slowly due to the remoteness of the area. Abdullah has cancelled the high tea on Independence Day, given the scale of the tragedy.
“All possible resources are being mobilised,” Abdullah posted on X after speaking with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Shah assured full central support, confirming that National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams had been dispatched.
On the ground, relief operations are in full swing. Teams from the NDRF, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Army, and local police are working around the clock to clear debris and search for survivors. Medical stations along the yatra route are treating the injured, while critically wounded pilgrims are being shifted to Kishtwar and Jammu. Helicopter sorties have been delayed due to bad weather, but efforts to air-drop supplies are underway.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and local MLA Sunil Kumar Sharma are personally monitoring the rescue work. Volunteers from nearby villages have joined the effort, braving unstable ground and continuing rain to pull people from the wreckage.
Officials warn that the toll could rise sharply as teams reach remote pockets still cut off from communication.
This disaster, one of the deadliest to strike Kishtwar in recent years, has turned the pilgrimage route into a landscape of mud, twisted metal, and silence, as the search for the missing continues.
Some of the bodies have been brought to the district hospital. Residents in the area have opened their homes to the pilgrims who have been horrified by the tragedy. The local youth are helping with the relief operations. On Friday, specialised rescue teams, including those from the Army, are expected to join the relief and rescue operations.