At least 32 killed in massive cloudburst in Jammu

Monitoring Desk

JAMMU: A massive cloudburst struck a remote village in Kishtwar district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, killing at least 32 people and causing widespread damage.

The disaster hit Chasoti, the last motorable village on the way to the Machail Mata temple, when a large number of people had gathered for the temple yatra. From there begins the 8.5 km trek to the temple. Situated at an altitude of 9,500 feet and about 90 km from Kishtwar, the village’s makeshift ‘langar’ for pilgrims bore the brunt of the cloudburst, triggering flashfloods.

Officials confirmed that 32 bodies have been recovered, with fears that the death toll could rise. “Massive rescue operations have been started in the area,” said the Deputy Commissioner of Kishtwar.

Teams of India’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been rushed from Udhampur to Kishtwar. Authorities estimate that rescue, relief, and recovery operations could take up to 20 days due to the challenging terrain. Mirwaiz expresses grief, sorrow over loss of life All Parties Hurriyat Conference senior leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has expressed deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious human lives and widespread destruction in the tragic incident. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in a post on social media platform X expressed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured persons.