Kishtwar, Jammu & Kashmir | August 21: The multi-agency rescue operation in cloudburst-hit Kishtwar entered its eighth consecutive day on Thursday, with authorities racing against time to trace 33 missing persons after the devastating floods during the Machail Mata yatra.
The tragedy struck on August 14, flattening makeshift markets, damaging 16 houses, three temples, four water mills, and a 30-metre bridge, leaving behind a trail of destruction. The death toll now stands at 65, including three CISF personnel and one J&K Police SPO, while over 100 people were injured.
Rescue efforts have intensified at three key locations — near the langar site, the washed-away houses, and the Bhuat nallah in Gulabgarh-Paddar. A massive team of the NDRF, SDRF, Army, CISF, police, BRO, civil administration, and local volunteers is tirelessly working to recover bodies and rescue survivors.
Specialized heavy-duty machinery, earthmovers, sniffer dogs, and advanced trucks have been deployed to sift through debris and reach inaccessible areas. Rescue teams from the 13th Battalion of NDRF are focusing on the 22-km stretch between Chisoti and Gulabgarh, following the recovery of two bodies downstream.
Officials confirmed that DNA identification has begun for recovered body parts, while relief measures, evacuation drives, and aid distribution are underway under the supervision of senior IAS and IPS officers, on the directions of Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha.
With hopes fading for the missing, the Kishtwar disaster stands as one of J&K’s deadliest tragedies in recent years, leaving hundreds displaced and the region in shock.
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