Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said that as per his information, around 60 people have died while 70 to 80 are still missing in the cloudburst hit Chositi village in Kishtwar district.
He said that adequate teams are deployed for the ongoing rescue operation.
The Chief Minister, who reached Kishtwar on Friday evening via Sinthan Top from Kashmir, today visited the cloudburst affected village and reviewed the ongoing rescue operation and met the affected families.
Speaking to reporters at Chositi, Abdullah said, “So far the death toll is around 60 while 70 to 80 people are still missing, the number of which may fluctuate.”
He however said that the reports about 500 or 1000 people missing, are incorrect.
“Adequate teams of NDRF, SDRF, Army, J&K Police along with other agencies are deployed to conduct the rescue operation,” said Abdullah.
He further stated that immediate relief has been disbursed among the affected families and have directed the officials to utilise the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund as well for the victims and the affected families.”
On shifting of cloudburst affected families, he said, “there has been a demand of shifting them from the present locations, but for that team of experts need to be consulted looking into all preventive measures needed to be taken.”
He further said, “I can understand the feelings of the affected families as the whereabouts of many of their missing loved ones are still unknown. They want them to be traced, either alive or dead.”
On recent incidents of cloudburst in mountainous parts, the Chief Minister said that hilly areas like J&K, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are prone to cloudbursts, and experts are needed to be consulted to take elaborate arrangements so that such tragedies can be prevented.
Abdullah assessed the damage caused by flash floods triggered by a cloudburst that left 60 people dead and over 100 injured and several missing.
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, who is also the Member Parliament from Kathua-Udhampur Constituency also visited the spot last night and assessed the situation.
Meanwhile officials stated that the help desk is established in Paddar to share information to the relatives and family members of those missing in the fury.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke to the Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday to take a review on the situation.
As many as 16 houses and government complexes, three temples, water mills, one bridge and around 20 vehicles were also damaged in the flash floods.
As the annual pilgrimage to Shri Machail Mata in Paddar was underway, the devotees were halted at the Chositi village-the last point to the yatra trek-for a community kitchen when the tragedy occurred.
Commenced on July 25 and scheduled to end on September 5, the Machail Yatra was immediately suspended after the cloudburst, they added.
The 8.5 kilometre trek to the 9,500-feet-high shrine begins from Chositi.
