Kishtwar: A massive cloudburst hit Chositi village en route to the Machail Mata yatra in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday (August 14), following which search and rescue operations have been launched.
The cloudburst hit Chositi village of Paddar sub-division, the last motorable village en route to the shrine. As per the officials, at least 20 bodies have been recovered from the cloudburst-hit village, and several people are still missing in the area.
The annual yatra to the shrine has been suspended following the incident as authorities mobilised all resources and are heading to the scene to conduct a massive rescue and relief operation, the officials said.
The cloudburst struck a remote mountain village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district on Thursday, killed at least 20 people and trapping many more, officials said.
The death toll could go up, they said, adding that 98 people have been rescued so far. Of these, the condition of 28 is said to be serious. Two CISF personnel have been killed in the calamity, they said. A large-scale rescue operation is underway by NDRF, SDRF, police, the Army, and local volunteers, the officials said.
The disaster struck Chositi, the last motorable village en route to Machail Mata temple, between 12 noon and 1 pm, when a large number of people had gathered for the Machail Mata yatra, which commenced on July 25 and was scheduled to end on September 5.
