Jammu, August 16: On the third day of the massive rescue and relief operation in disaster-hit Chisoti village of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, rescuers on Saturday resorted to using explosives to blast giant boulders blocking access to the worst-affected sites, officials said. The move came as hopes of finding survivors dimmed with each passing hour.
The catastrophic cloudburst and flash floods that struck Chisoti in Padder sub-division on August 14 have so far claimed 60 lives, including three CISF personnel and a Special Police Officer. Officials said 82 people remain missing, while 167 have been rescued, several of them critically injured. Fifty bodies have been identified and handed over to their families after legal formalities.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah visited Chisoti on Saturday morning, meeting survivors and families of the deceased. Announcing financial assistance as “a measure of solidarity and immediate relief,” Abdullah said families of the deceased will be given ₹2 lakh each, while those with severe injuries will receive ₹1 lakh and those with minor injuries ₹50,000. For damaged houses, he announced ₹1 lakh for fully destroyed structures, ₹50,000 for severely damaged ones, and ₹25,000 for partially damaged houses. The Chief Minister also assured long-term rehabilitation, relocation to safer zones, and livelihood support.
“We feel relieved after the visit of the Chief Minister, who went door-to-door to meet victims’ families and heard our genuine demands,” said Rangeel Singh, a local resident. Singh added that the people expect the government to ensure proper rehabilitation and jobs for next of kin of those killed.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh, accompanied by J&K DGP Nalin Prabhat, had visited the devastated village late on Friday night to review operations. However, some villagers expressed disappointment that he “came in the dead of night and returned without listening to us.”
Officials said the magnitude of the destruction is overwhelming. At least 16 residential houses, government buildings, three temples, four water mills, a 30-metre bridge, and over a dozen vehicles were destroyed. The cloudburst also flattened a makeshift market, a langar site for the ongoing Machail Mata yatra, and a nearby security outpost.
The yatra, which began on July 25 and was scheduled to conclude on September 5, remained suspended for the third consecutive day. Chisoti, the last motorable point for the pilgrimage to the 9,500-foot-high shrine, lies about 90 km from Kishtwar town.
Rescue efforts, jointly carried out by the Army, Police, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Border Roads Organisation (BRO), civil administration, and local volunteers, were intensified with additional troop deployment. Nearly a dozen earth-movers, specialised equipment, and dog squads have been pressed into service.
Senior officials including Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, GOC Delta Force Major General A P S Bal, and CISF DIG M K Yadav visited the spot. Jammu Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar, IGP Jammu Bhim Sen Tuti, Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Sharma, and SSP Naresh Singh are stationed in the area to supervise operations round the clock.
As rescuers race against time, officials said explosives were used to blast through oversized boulders that earth-movers failed to shift. These boulders, lodged near the langar site, have been obstructing digging operations where several people are still feared trapped.
Chief Minister Abdullah, offering prayers for the departed souls, assured people of a comprehensive rehabilitation package. “The government will not only provide immediate assistance but also extend long-term support to help affected families rebuild their lives,” he said.
The disaster has left the entire Padder region reeling, with survivors struggling under the weight of grief and uncertainty, while teams continue their desperate search for those still missing.
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