Jammu: Two days after a devastating cloudburst struck Chisoti village in Kishtwar district, Jammu and Kashmir, relatives of the missing are holding on to fading hope.
Rescue operations entered their third day on Saturday, but grief-stricken families expressed their anxiety, noting that each passing hour reduced the chances of survival for those trapped.
So far, 82 people—81 pilgrims and one CISF personnel—have been reported missing following the flash floods triggered by the cloudburst in the Padder sub-division on Thursday afternoon. Jammu, Udhampur, and Samba districts accounted for the highest number, with 60 people still untraced.
Among the missing are four people each from Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, one from Himachal Pradesh, and others from Doda, Reasi, and Rajouri districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
The disaster hit Chisoti—the last motorable village on the route to Machail Mata temple—around 12:25 pm on August 14. The flash floods claimed 60 lives and injured over 100 others. The deluge destroyed a makeshift market, a langar site for the yatra, a security outpost, at least 16 residential houses and government buildings, three temples, four water mills, a 30-meter-long bridge, and more than a dozen vehicles.
The annual Machail Mata yatra, which began on July 25 and was scheduled to conclude on September 5, has been suspended for the third consecutive day. The 8.5-kilometre trek to the 9,500-foot-high shrine begins at Chisoti, approximately 90 kilometres from Kishtwar town.
In Benagarh village on the outskirts of Jammu, residents anxiously await news of seven villagers, including four children, who went missing during the calamity. Among eight villagers who had undertaken the yatra, the body of Mamta has been recovered, but the others remain untraced.
“The entire village is in grief. We are hopeful that the rescuers will find them alive,” said Ajay Kumar, a relative. He added that they have not eaten since hearing of the incident and criticized the continuation of the yatra despite adverse weather forecasts.
Parents of missing children Vanshika and Disha arrived in Jammu from Kishtwar, visibly shaken. Their mother said, “I saw my world crashing before my eyes. My daughters have gone away from me.” Their father recounted searching every hospital and mortuary in vain.
The body of Happy Sharma, another missing pilgrim from Jammu’s Bishnah area, was recovered on Friday, and his last rites were performed at Parmandal. Six other people from the area, including five children, remain untraced.
From Samba district, former sarpanch Surinder Singh reported that Poonam and her daughters Rashika and Namika are missing, while her husband and son survived. Other missing families from the district include Shahi Paul, his wife Savita Devi, their children Kaniya and Shivam, and relatives Sudesh Kumari and Vishal from Vijaupur.
Pilgrims from other states also remain untraced: Shalini, Pooja, Babu, and his son from Madhya Pradesh; Vijendar, Raj Kumari, Vedika, and Chahat from Haryana; and Dewan from Himachal Pradesh. Five residents of New Plot locality in Jammu are missing, while bodies of four others from Janipur have been recovered. A CISF personnel, Manoj Kumar Biswal, is also reported missing.
A coordinated rescue operation continues, involving police, army, National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, Border Roads Organisation, civil administration, and local volunteers. So far, 46 bodies have been identified and handed over to their families following legal formalities.
