J-K authorities identify 21 of 46 bodies from Kishtwar cloudburst

Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have identified 21 bodies of the 46 that were retrieved from the cloudburst-hit Chisoti village in Kishtwar district, officials said on Friday.

A massive flash flood triggered by a cloudburst struck the remote mountain village in Kishtwar on Thursday, killing at least 46 people, including two CISF personnel.

To identify the deceased, the authorities shared victims' pictures through a WhatsApp group with the affected families, resulting in identification of 21 out of the 46 bodies retrieved, they said.

Over 160 people have been rescued so far, and the condition of 38 among them is said to be serious.

The officials have said that the death toll could go up as more people are believed to be trapped.

"We have shared pictures of the bodies with them so that they can be identified," he said, adding that people are calling to find out the whereabouts of their family members following the cloudburst.

On Thursday, the Jammu and Kashmir administration set up a control room-cum-help desk in Paddar, about 15 km from Chositi village, to assist people and pilgrims following flash floods.

Five officials have been put on duty for the control room. The numbers provided are: 9858223125, 6006701934, 9797504078, 8492886895, 8493801381, and 7006463710.

Since the tragedy struck, the help desk has received scores of distress calls, the official said, adding that the authorities are trying to trace 67 people reported missing by families at the help desk.

A senior official said, Out of 45 bodies retrieved so far, 21 have been identified by their families. The rest are being identified.

"We have shared pictures of the bodies with them so that they can be identified," he said, adding that families have been calling to find out the whereabouts of their loved ones following the cloudburst.

There are two villages ahead of the cloudburst-hit belt -- Machail and Hamori -- where hundreds of people are stranded, the officials said, adding that their mobile phone batteries have been exhausted due to the snapping of the power supply to the belt following the disaster.

Once they come in contact, authorities will get to know the exact whereabouts of the people, they said.

Fresh search operations will also dig out more victims from the debris and mud in the area, the officials said.

Meanwhile, the villagers said they had seen 10 bodies floating in the Chenab river and efforts to retrieve them are also underway.

The Chisoti village, a base camp for the annual Machail Mata Yatra, was bustling with pilgrims when the disaster struck between 12 noon and 1 pm on Thursday.

The floods, accompanied by mudslides and debris flows, buried homes, shops and vehicles, leaving casualties and many missing persons.

The flash floods also swept away a security camp and several vehicles parked at the bus stand. A temple in the middle of the flooded area miraculously survived.

A langar (community kitchen) set up for devotees bore the brunt of the cloudburst, which caused flash floods and washed away several structures, including shops and a security outpost.

Many vehicles at the bus stand, the starting point for the foot journey to the Himalayan temple of Machail Mata, were severely damaged by floodwaters and mud.