Massive cloudburst hits Kishtwar in Jammu & Kashmir; at least 38 feared dead

Kishtwar: At least 38 people have died in flash floods caused by torrential rains in the remote Himalayan village of Chositi in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Rescue teams have brought at least 100 people to safety, while around 50 others are still missing, according to Mohammed Irshad, a top disaster management official. The floods were triggered by a cloudburst in Jammu and Kashmir’s Chositi area, which could result in substantial casualties, said India’s deputy minister for science and technology, Jitendra Singh.

Some of the rescued individuals were badly injured and are receiving treatment in local hospitals, according to local official Susheel Kumar Sharma. Chositi lies in Kashmir’s Kishtwar district and is the last village accessible by motor vehicles on the route of an annual Hindu pilgrimage to a mountainous shrine. The pilgrimage has been suspended due to the disaster, and more rescue teams are en route to the area.

The floods destroyed the main community kitchen set up for the pilgrims and swept away dozens of vehicles and motorbikes. Lt. Gov. Manoj Sinha, New Delhi’s top administrator in Kashmir, expressed condolences and directed military, paramilitary forces, police, and disaster management personnel to intensify rescue and relief efforts.

Cloudbursts, which are sudden, intense downpours over small areas, are increasingly common in India’s Himalayan regions, causing flash floods and landslides that impact thousands. Experts attribute the rise in cloudbursts partly to climate change, while unplanned development in mountainous regions has worsened the damage from such storms.

Five officials have been put on duty for the control room. The numbers provided are: 9858223125, 6006701934, 9797504078, 8492886895, 8493801381, and 7006463710.

Besides these, the district control room numbers are 01995-259555 and 9484217492, and the police control room number of Kishtwar is 9906154100.