Kishtwar (Jammu and Kashmir): Subash Chander, a devotee on the Machail Mata Yatra, said he was trapped under debris for nearly six hours after a massive cloudburst struck Chashoti village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district on Thursday, killing at least 60 people.

The cloudburst along the yatra route triggered flash floods and heavy destruction, leaving dozens of pilgrims and locals dead. Chander, who has taken part in the pilgrimage for 34 years, said he and a few others were serving food in a nearby hall when disaster struck. “We heard a loud sound,” he recalled.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah told ANI that around 60 bodies had been recovered and the number of missing was still being assessed. He said officials would examine whether preventive steps should have been taken after the Meteorological Department issued warnings.

Army personnel, the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, police, and local administration have launched rescue operations, joined by political party workers assisting on the ground, Abdullah added.

Recalling the incident, Chander said, "Due to the cloudburst, a huge slide of mud, boulders, and trees came crashing onto the building. Had we not run out of the building, we would not have survived... 2-3 people on another building died on the spot. I was trapped in the debris for around 6 hours"

"Nobody came for one hour (for rescue), but after that, the Army and the locals arrived to rescue us...", he alleged.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh visited the cloudburst-affected areas in Chesoti late on Friday evening.

According to sources, the Indian Air Force will participate in relief and rescue operations, with two Mi-17 helicopters and one Advanced Light Helicopter on standby at Jammu and Udhampur.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day speech on Friday, expressed solidarity with those affected by recent natural disasters across India.

"Nature is testing us...Over the past few days, we have been facing natural disasters, landslides, cloudbursts, and many other calamities. Our sympathies are with the affected people," he said from the Red Fort. (ANI)