A devastating flash flood triggered by a cloudburst has killed at least 37 people in Chisoti, a Himalayan mountain village in Indian-administered Kashmir, authorities confirmed on Thursday.
According to Mohammad Irshad, a senior disaster management official, powerful torrents of water swept through the Kishtwar district following hours of intense rainfall, leaving widespread destruction. He said 150 people were rescued with injuries — 50 of them in critical condition — and rushed to nearby hospitals.
Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah described the situation as “grim,” confirming that the extreme rainfall was the result of a sudden cloudburst. Witnesses reported chaotic scenes as locals and rescuers carried the wounded on stretchers to overwhelmed medical facilities.
District Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Sharma warned that the death toll could rise as search and recovery operations continue.
Pilgrimage Route Hit Hard
Chisoti lies along a Hindu pilgrimage route to the Machail Mata shrine. Officials said a large makeshift kitchen serving over 100 unregistered pilgrims was swept away entirely. Damaged roads and ongoing heavy storms are hampering rescue efforts, with army personnel now assisting relief teams.
The disaster site is more than 200 kilometres from Srinagar, the region’s capital. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged “every possible assistance” to victims and their families.
Recurring Flood Tragedies
This is the second major flooding disaster to hit India this month. On August 5, floods buried the Himalayan town of Dharali in Uttarakhand state under mud, with the death toll expected to exceed 70.
Experts warn that climate change and poorly planned development are worsening the frequency and severity of floods and landslides during the June–September monsoon season. The UN’s World Meteorological Organization has called such extreme events a “distress signal” of an increasingly unstable global water cycle.
Source:@Channeltv
