A flash flood triggered by a massive cloudburst hit a remote mountain village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district on Thursday, killing at least 55 people including two CISF personnel and wreaking havoc on a religious pilgrimage, officials said.
The death toll could rise with many people missing and many others trapped, officials said, adding that 167 people had been rescued so far. Of these, the conditions of 38 are said to be serious.
The disaster struck Chositi, the last motorable village on the way to the Machail Mata temple, between noon and 1pm. A large number of people had gathered for the annual Machail Mata Yatra, which started on July 25 and is scheduled to end on September 5. The 8.5km trek to the shrine, located at 9,500ft, begins from Chositi.
Chositi is about 90km from Kishtwar town.
A langar (community kitchen) set up for the devotees in Chositi bore the brunt of the cloudburst, which led to flash floods that washed away several structures, including shops and a security outpost.
Officials said the langar was packed with devotees when calamity struck.
Pooja Thakur, the Kishtwar District Development Council chairperson, said 55 bodies had been recovered and many people were missing.
She blamed reckless development in the district, including the construction of road networks and power projects, for the catastrophe.
“I believe the Jammu region has never witnessed anything like this before. Entire mountains have been dug up here and turned hollow. What else do you expect?” she said.
The disaster comes nine days after flash floods flattened Dharali village in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district.
Immediately after calamity struck Chositi on Thursday, Kishtwar deputy commissioner Pankaj Kumar Sharma and the senior superintendent of police mobilised rescue teams and headed towards the spot to supervise the operations.
A rescue operation has been launched by the national and state disaster response forces along with the police, army and local volunteers. The Yatra to the Machail Mata shrine has been suspended.