Chasoti, Jammu and Kashmir: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah visited Chasoti village in Kishtwar district on Saturday to assess the devastation caused by a cloudburst-triggered flash flood that claimed 60 lives and left over 100 injured.
A coordinated rescue and relief operation is ongoing in the village. While families have reported 75 people missing, locals and eyewitnesses fear that hundreds may have been swept away and buried under massive boulders, wooden logs, and debris.
The Chief Minister, who arrived in Kishtwar on Friday evening, traveled to Chasoti by road early Saturday, accompanied by his political advisor, Nasir Aslam Wani. At the site, a senior army officer supervising the relief efforts briefed Abdullah on the ongoing operations. He was also provided with a virtual reality headset to gain a detailed understanding of the damage caused.
The disaster struck Chasoti—the last motorable village on the route to the Machail Mata temple—at approximately 12:25 pm on August 14. It devastated a makeshift market, a community kitchen set up for pilgrims, and a security outpost.
In addition, at least 16 houses and government buildings, three temples, four water mills, a 30-meter-long bridge, and over a dozen vehicles were damaged.
The annual Machail Mata Yatra, which began on July 25 and was scheduled to conclude on September 5, remained suspended for the third consecutive day on Saturday. The 8.5-kilometre trek to the 9,500-foot-high shrine starts from Chasoti, located roughly 90 kilometres from Kishtwar town.
