Chisoti (JK): The body of a woman was recovered in cloudburst-hit Chisoti village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, raising the death toll to 64, officials said, as rescue and relief operations entered their sixth day on Tuesday.
The decomposed body was found downstream and retrieved by rescuers this morning, aided by improved weather conditions. Sniffer dogs also located a lower body part of another victim under debris from a collapsed house, believed to belong to a person whose body was recovered on the first day of the disaster.
Rescue teams are working across multiple sites, particularly near a langar (community kitchen) area, using heavy machinery and sniffer dogs to sift through the rubble.
The cloudburst on August 14 triggered flash floods that devastated Chisoti—the last motorable village en route to the Machail Mata temple—destroying 16 houses, government buildings, three temples, four water mills, a 30-metre bridge, a makeshift market, and several vehicles. The death toll includes three CISF personnel and one Special Police Officer (SPO) of J-K Police.
So far, 167 people have been rescued, while the number of missing persons has been revised to 39, officials said. Deputy Superintendent of Police, SDRF, Masoof Ahmad Mirza, stated that the operation is ongoing “at war footing,” with teams now being dispatched downstream to expand the search.
The Army’s Jammu-based White Knight Corps said five relief columns are actively engaged, with additional medical teams deployed. Army engineers have built a Bailey bridge over Chisoti nullah, restoring vital connectivity to the village and the Machail Mata shrine. All-terrain vehicles have also been brought in to expedite relief efforts.
Controlled explosions were carried out over the past three days to remove giant boulders obstructing the search. The annual Machail Mata yatra, which began on July 25 and was scheduled to end on September 5, has been suspended for the sixth consecutive day. Authorities plan to allow a group of devotees carrying the ‘Charri’ from Jammu, expected to reach the shrine around August 21–22.
Rescuers continue to use over a dozen earth movers and other heavy equipment, while the NDRF has mobilized dog squads and additional resources to accelerate operations.
