Kishtwar Cloudburst Death Toll Climbs to 61

Indian Army, National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF), State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF), police and local administration have been engaged in a search and rescue operation in flash flood-hit Chisoti village in Jammu and

Kashmir's Kishtwar district.

J&K Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo said 61 people were killed in the incident and 116 others were rescued. A total of 75 people were admitted in the Government Medical College (GMC) Hospital and condition of four patients continues to be "critical".

#WATCH | J&K: Controlled blasting done during the search and rescue operation by Indian Army, NDRF, SDRF, Police and local administration in flash flood-hit Chasoti village in Kishtwar district.

As per J&K Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, 61 people have lost their lives in the… pic.twitter.com/dfCIUu8fmd

— ANI (@ANI) August 18, 2025

The cloudburst struck Chisoti, the last motorable village en route the Machail Mata temple, on August 14. The flash floods triggered by the cloudburst left a trail of destruction, flattening a makeshift market, a langar (community kitchen) site for the Machail Mata

Yatra, damaging houses and government buildings, temples, water mills, a 30-metre-long bridge, and more than a dozen vehicles.

Dulloo said security forces, along with teams from different agencies and the administration, immediately launched a rescue operation. "CISF, CRPF, Army, police, BRO, and NHPC teams with machines immediately reached the spot. Nearly 400-450 personnel are conducting search and rescue operations round-the-clock," the chief secretary told PTI.

The annual Machail Mata Yatra, which

began on July 25 and was scheduled to conclude on September 5, remained suspended for the fifth straight day on Monday. The 8.5-km trek to the 9,500-foot shrine starts from Chisoti, located about 90 km from Kishtwar town.