Chisoti (J&K): Search and rescue operations continued for the seventh consecutive day on Wednesday in the cloudburst-hit Chisoti village of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, officials said. Principal Secretary (Home) Chandraker Bharti chaired a review meeting with multiple agencies after assessing the ground situation.
Bharti is the first of 10 IAS and IPS officers deputed by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to supervise relief and rescue measures in the disaster zone over the next eight days.
The death toll from the August 14 calamity, which struck the last motorable village en route to the Machail Mata temple during the annual yatra, has climbed to 65, including three CISF personnel and one J&K Police Special Police Officer. More than 100 people were injured and 39 remain missing.
“Day seven of the search began amid morning showers, but teams fanned out once the weather cleared to look for those still believed buried under debris or swept away by the stream,” an SDRF official said.
The operation, extended on Tuesday to the entire 22-km stretch from Chisoti to Gulabgarh after two more bodies were found downstream, involves multiple teams working at key sites, including a langar (community kitchen) area. Heavy machinery, earth movers, sniffer dogs and controlled explosions to clear giant boulders are being used in the search.
During his visit, Bharti interacted with local residents, rescue personnel and civil administration teams, stressing the need for a swift, coordinated response to accelerate relief and rehabilitation. He also evaluated immediate requirements of affected families to ensure timely delivery of aid.
The flash floods flattened a makeshift market and langar site, damaged 16 houses, government buildings, three temples, four water mills, a 30-metre bridge, and over a dozen vehicles.
Rescue efforts are being carried out jointly by the Army, police, NDRF, SDRF, CISF, BRO, civil administration, and local volunteers. Army engineers have built a Bailey bridge across the Chisoti nullah to restore connectivity to the village and the Machail Mata shrine. All-terrain vehicles have also been deployed.
Meanwhile, the annual Machail Mata yatra, which began on July 25 and was scheduled to end on September 5, remains suspended for the seventh day. However, authorities confirmed that a group of devotees carrying the ‘Charri’ from Jammu will be allowed to proceed, with their arrival at the shrine expected on August 21 or 22.
The 8.5-km pilgrimage trek to the 9,500-foot-high shrine starts from Chisoti, located about 90 km from Kishtwar town.
