Four killed in flash floods triggered by cloudburst in J&K’s Kathua

Jammu: At least four people were killed and many others injured after a cloudburst hit Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district during the night intervening Saturday and Sunday, said officials here, adding that a rescue operation is now underway in the affected area.

Minister of State (PMO), Dr Jintendra Singh, said on X, “Spoken to SSP Kathua Sh Shobhit Saxena after receiving information about a cloud burst in the Janglote area. 4 Casualties reported. In addition, damage has occurred to Railway track, National Highway while Police Station Kathua has been affected.”

He further said that the civilian Administration, Military and Paramilitary have swung into action and the situation is being continuously monitored.

“My sincere condolences to the families of the deceased,” the Minister said in his post

The district administration issued a weather advisory and said “heavy to very heavy rainfall” is reported across the district.

It also requested the public to stay away from water bodies.

Information and public relations office of the union territory said on X, “Weather Advisory | Kathua. Heavy to very heavy rainfall reported across the district.Avoid rivers, streams, nallahs, hilly & landslide-prone areas. Stay alert to risk of flash floods & landslides.”

This is the second cloudburst hit in Jammu and Kashmir during the last four days.

On August 14, a massive cloudburst hit the Chashoti village in the Padder sub-division of Kishtwar district. So far, 65 bodies have been recovered, and over 100 people have been rescued in the Chashoti cloudburst disaster.

Meanwhile, 75 people have been reported missing by their families, although locals and eyewitnesses claim that hundreds may have been swept away by flash floods and buried under giant boulders, logs, and rubble.

Among the deceased were two personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and a Special Police Officer (SPO) of the local police, the officials added.

The disaster struck Chashoti, the last motorable village en route to the Machail Mata temple, at approximately 12.25 p.m. on August 14. It flattened a makeshift market, a community kitchen site for the Machail Mata Yatris and a security outpost.

At least 16 residential houses and government buildings, three temples, four water mills, a 30-metre-long bridge, and over a dozen vehicles were also damaged in the flash floods.

The annual Machail Mata yatra, which began on July 25 and was scheduled to conclude on September 5, remained suspended for the third consecutive day on Saturday.

The 8.5-kilometre trek to the 9,500 ft high shrine starts from Chashoti, located about 90 kilometres from Kishtwar town. Rescue efforts were intensified with the deployment of nearly a dozen earth-movers by the civil administration and the use of specialised equipment and dog squads by the NDRF.

Dr Jitendra Singh said on X after the visit to the disaster site, “After a long, tedious uphill drive, managed to reach the site of the cloudburst disaster in Kishtwar… very late, around midnight.”

In addition to SDRF, NDRF, home guards, local volunteers and J&K Police, the Army has deployed over 300 personnel to augment the rescue exercise.

IANS