Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have identified 21 of the 46 bodies retrieved so far from the cloudburst-hit Chisoti village in Kishtwar district, even as the death toll is feared to rise with many still missing.
A massive flash flood triggered by Thursday’s cloudburst struck the remote mountain village, killing at least 46 people, including two CISF personnel.
Over 160 people have been rescued, with 38 in serious condition.
Officials warned that more victims could be trapped under the debris.
To aid identification, officials have been sharing photographs of the deceased with affected families via WhatsApp groups.
“We have shared pictures of the bodies with them so that they can be identified,” an official said, adding that families continue to call in search of missing loved ones.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has set up a control room-cum-help desk in Paddar, about 15 km from Chisoti, with five officials manning dedicated helplines.
The help desk has already received numerous distress calls, and authorities are trying to trace 67 people reported missing.
Meanwhile, villagers reported seeing 10 bodies floating in the Chenab river, with retrieval efforts underway.
The floods — accompanied by mudslides and debris flows — buried homes, shops and vehicles, swept away a security camp, and damaged several vehicles at the Machail Mata Yatra base camp. A temple in the flooded zone survived, but a community kitchen for pilgrims was destroyed.
Hundreds remain stranded in Machail and Hamori villages due to snapped power lines and exhausted phone batteries. Search operations continue to recover victims from the debris.
J&K CM Omar Abdullah briefs PM Modi
In Srinagar, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said he had briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the disaster, which he said has claimed 60 lives and injured more than 100.
“I just received a call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I briefed him about the situation in Kishtwar and the steps being taken by the administration,” Abdullah wrote on X.
“The government and the people hit by the tragic cloudburst are grateful for the prime minister’s support and all the assistance provided by the Centre.”
Addressing an Independence Day event in Srinagar, Abdullah expressed condolences to the bereaved families.
“This is a joyous day for the people of the country, which is observing Independence Day today, but at the same time, the loss of lives in a cloudburst is heartbreaking… I would also like to pray for those who have been injured that they get well as soon as possible,” he said.
The chief minister stressed the need for accountability.
“In the coming days, we will have to figure out why this happened. Was there any lapse on the part of the administration, because we already had a weather forecast… Could we have taken more steps to save these precious lives? We have to make ourselves accountable on this account,” he said.