Jammu & Kashmir cloudburst: 6 dead, nearly 40 missing

AT LEAST six bodies were recovered on Wednesday (28) after some houses were swept away by flash floods triggered by a cloudburst in a remote village in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir in northern India, official sources said. Five were found to be injured while almost 40 went missing.

Almost 40 were reportedly missing in the incident which happened in Honzar village in Dacchan tehsil around 4.30 am India time, the sources added. A joint rescue operation conducted by the police, army and state disaster response force (SDRF) was underway.

Shafqat Hussain, senior superintendent of police (SSP) Kishtwar told reporters that six bodies have been recovered while five were rescued in an injured condition after flash floods hit Honzan village in Dachan area of Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, IANS news agency reported.

VK Singh, director general of police-cum-commandant general home guard, Civil Defence and SDRF, said two women are among the five killed in the cloudburst, while more than 25 others are still missing. “One of our SDRF teams from Kishtwar reached the affected village and two more teams are on their way from Doda and Udhampur districts. Two more SDRF teams are waiting for weather to improve to get airlifted from Jammu and Srinagar to the scene and join the rescue mission,” Singh said.

Ashok Kumar Sharma, district development commissioner of Kishtwar, said two more cloudbursts struck the remote Lambard area overnight but there was no report of any loss of life.

He said 60 families were evacuated to safety from the Paddar area in view of incessant rains which posed a threat to their homes. Most parts of the Jammu region have been receiving heavy rains for the past few days.

“The meteorological department has predicted heavy rains during the upcoming days and water levels in rivers and drains are expected to rise, which can pose a threat to the inhabitants residing near rivers, drains, water bodies and slide-prone areas,” the district administration warned on Tuesday (27) night.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that the central government was closely monitoring the situation in Kishtwar and Kargil following the cloudburst incidents. He said all possible assistance is being provided to the affected areas and wished for everyone’s safety and well-being.