Kishtwar cloudburst: J-K chief secretary meets injured victims at GMC Jammu

Jammu, Aug 17 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Sunday met the injured victims of a cloudburst that hit Kishtwar district on August 14 at the Government Medical College (GMC) Hospital in Jammu, and said 61 bodies have been pulled out from the debris so far.

Flash floods triggered by the cloudburst struck Chisoti in Kishtwar district -- the last motorable village en route the Machail Mata temple -- at around 12:30 pm on August 14, leaving 61 persons dead and over 116 injured.

At the GMC Hospital, a team of doctors led by college principal Dr Ashutosh Gupta briefed Dulloo on the health condition of the injured, numbering more than 50 people.

"According to the latest figures, 61 people have died in the natural calamity. A total of 116 people have been rescued alive from Chisoti," he told reporters.

Dulloo was replying to questions about contradictory figures of deaths reported in some sections of the media, which were much higher than the bodies recovered.

As soon as the incident occurred on August 14, security forces, along with teams from different agencies and the administration, immediately launched a rescue operation, Dulloo said.

“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 said.

“As many as 116 persons were rescued alive from the area. Among them, 50-55 persons with minor injuries were taken to hospitals in Paddar and Kishtwar. They were discharged after being given first-aid. Nearly 60 patients have been admitted to GMC Jammu,” Dulloo said.

On the cloudburst and landslide in Kathua on Sunday, Dulloo said, “There was a cloudburst in Kathua today, in which seven persons lost their lives while six were injured. The injured have been airlifted to the military hospital in Pathankot.” Seven members of four families, including five children, were killed in two separate incidents of cloudburst and landslide in Kathua district early Sunday.

The calamity struck Jodh Ghati village in Rajbagh and Bagra village in Janglote amid heavy overnight rain in the district, leading to an increase in the level of water bodies, submerging many low-lying areas, officials said. PTI AB ARI