- By Shubham Bajpai
- Fri, 15 Aug 2025 05:48 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Kishtwar Cloudburst: Jammu and Kashmir saw one of its worst natural disasters at Chishoti in Kishtwar after a cloudburst claimed at least 60 lives, while over 500 are still missing.
The houses and other infrastructure were washed away in hundreds, leaving many in despair. Witnesses recall the horror when they lost almost everything in front of their eyes.
One of them, named Akash, was searching for his family members amid the rubble on Thursday evening. He recalled what he might never forget for his lifetime and said that his family used to live there to welcome the devotees coming from all over the country, but this rain of death has shaken us.
He said, " I have recovered about a dozen lifeless bodies from here. All of them had stopped here to rest before visiting Machail Mata." Uttam Chand, who belongs to Himachal Pradesh, said that he and his family were resting in tents before going for darshan when the sudden flood caused devastation everywhere. "I and my two friends ran to save ourselves. There was chaos everywhere. In no time, the atmosphere of joy turned into mourning", he said.
"There was wailing and crying everywhere; people were searching for their relatives in the debris. The area is now covered in mud and waterlogging in large areas near houses. Many people are crossing a temporary bridge to reach safer places even as the water flow in the drain below the bridge is very fast," he added.
Yashpal Singh stated that the langar set up for devotees was severely affected by the floods, while local infrastructure, including the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) verification counter, was damaged.
A local named Mohal Lal said that it was raining for two days before the cloudburst and so most of the villagers were in their homes. According to the villagers, they not only lost their homes but cattle and livelihood. "Many vehicles were damaged. He said that we also ran to save our lives. The village was cut off for some time, we did not understand what to do. When the rescue team arrived and the process of evacuating people began, we got some courage," said a villager.
Chishoti is a small village on the Yatra route and has a population of about 175 families. Maa Ranchandi's court is about eight kilometers away from there. Chishoti is the base camp during the Machail Mata Yatra.
Vehicles are not allowed beyond the bridge built there during the yatra. Therefore, all the devotees stop here for a while and travel further from here on foot or by two-wheeler.