Flashfloods: Bodies of 8-year-old girl, 20-year-old man recovered

Death toll in Kishtwar cloudburst rises to 65 with recovery of two bodies, search area extended

20/08/2025

JAMMU, Aug 19: The bodies of an eight-year-old girl and a 20-year-old man, who were swept away in flash floods on Monday, were recovered in twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, officials said.
Massive operations were launched by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police, and locals to trace the minor girl and the man who were washed away in the rising waters of Suran River and Mubarakhpura Nallah in Poonch and Rajouri districts, they said.
The body of 20-year-old Atif Shah was recovered on Tuesday from Munawar Tawi at Kalhar-Dalogra, around 15 km downstream from the incident site, officials said.
The body is being handed over to the family.
"A massive search operation by the SDRF, local administration, and police took place to find Shah, who was swept away while crossing a seasonal rivulet yesterday," said Deputy Superintendent of Police (SDRF) Zabeen Akther, who supervised the rescue efforts on-site.
"The body of Asia Kouser, who was swept away by strong currents near Umrah Ban Dhok yesterday, was recovered from the Suran river in the Shindra area of the district," an official said.
Rains lashed several areas of the Jammu region intermittently but there were no fresh reports of damage to any structures, officials said.
Rescue efforts were underway in Bhainch in Poonch district, where 20 people are trapped due to flash floods, they said, adding that rain is continuing in the area.
A landslide in Niaka Panjgrian village of Rajouri has caused the closure of two roads, they said, adding that efforts are on to remove blockades.
Heavy rain on Monday triggered flash floods and landslides at several places, causing damage to multiple structures and roads in the Jammu region.
Three houses were washed away near the Betaar riverbanks. Flash floods also occurred in several parts of Poonch, damaging some houses and a school in Khanetar.
The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, which was shut for vehicular traffic early Monday after heavy rains triggered multiple landslides and shooting stones from hillocks overlooking the arterial road in Ramban district, was restored, officials said.
Traffic is plying normally on the inter-regional Mughal road after a brief closure due to a landslide, they added.
Meanwhile, two bodies were recovered in this cloudburst-hit village in Kishtwar district on Tuesday, taking the toll to 65, officials said, as the search operation was extended to cover a larger area on the sixth day.
The day started with the recovery of a mutilated body of a woman downstream, while sniffer dogs also helped trace a lower body part of another victim under the debris of a collapsed house, they said.
Officials said that one more body and two body parts were recovered from different locations during the day.
However, the officials said the recovered parts are suspected to be of bodies that have already been recovered. The remains would be sent for a DNA test.
The rescue teams are working at multiple locations, especially the major impact spot near a community kitchen site, sifting through the rubble using heavy machinery, including earth movers, and sniffer dogs.
A cloudburst struck Chisoti, the last motorable village en route to the Machail Mata temple, on August 14, leaving a trail of death and destruction. Among the 65 dead, three are CISF personnel and one Special Police Officer (SPO) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police.
A total of 167 people have been rescued, and 39 were still marked as missing after a fresh revision of the list on Monday, the officials said.
Deputy Superintendent of Police, SDRF, Masoof Ahmad Mirza said four teams have been deployed to search for bodies on both sides of the stream from Chisoti to Gulabgarh, a stretch of 22 km.
"The rescue and relief operation is going on a war footing. The impact area of the cloudburst is vast, and so it is taking so much time. We have cleared a large area upstream, and now we are searching the downstream as well,” he said.
Principal Secretary, Home, Chandraker Bharti visited the site, following an order issued by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha that announced the posting of 10 IAS and IPS officers for the next eight days to supervise relief and rescue operations.
The Army's Jammu-based White Knight Corps, in a post on X on Monday, said five relief columns of the force are engaged in the rescue and relief operations, and efforts have been intensified with additional medical teams deployed.
The flash-floods triggered by the cloudburst left a trail of destruction, flattening a makeshift market, a langar site for the annual Machail Mata yatra, damaging 16 houses and government buildings, three temples, four water mills, a 30-metre-long bridge, and over a dozen vehicles.
The joint teams of police, Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), CISF, Border Roads Organisation (BRO), civil administration, and local volunteers are engaged in the rescue efforts.
Army engineers on Sunday built a Bailey bridge over Chisoti nullah, providing much-needed connectivity to the village and the Machail Mata shrine. The Army has also inducted a couple of all-terrain vehicles as part of the efforts to intensify the rescue and relief operation.
The rescuers conducted over half a dozen controlled explosions in the past three days to blow up giant boulders hampering the search effort.
The annual Machail Mata yatra, which began on July 25 and was scheduled to conclude on September 5, remained suspended for the sixth consecutive day on Tuesday.
However, the authorities will allow a group of devotees carrying the 'Charri' from Jammu to reach the shrine on August 21 or 22. The 8.5-km trek to the 9,500-foot-high shrine starts from Chisoti, located about 90 km from the Kishtwar town.
Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah sanctioned and released a grant of Rs30 lakh out of the Chief Minister's Relief Fund in favour of the Next of Kin (NoK) of the deceased victims of the Badhaal tragedy.
In December 2024, the village of Badhaal in Rajouri district witnessed a tragic incident in which 17 people, including 13 children, lost their lives. The tragedy caused widespread shock and grief across the region.
To enable the surviving members of bereaved families to rebuild their lives,, Chief Minister approved financial assistance to provide some relief to the affected households during this difficult period.
Reacting to the announcement, MLA Budhal, Javed Iqbal Choudhary, expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister. He said,
"I extend my heartfelt thanks and deep gratitude to you for granting financial aid in favour of the NoK of the deceased victims of the Badhaal tragedy. Your compassionate support in this hour of grief has brought relief to the affected families and is deeply appreciated."
This timely intervention by the Chief Minister has brought solace to the distressed families and reaffirmed the Government's commitment to stand by the people during times of crisis.

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