Kishtwar Cloudburst: Death Count at 64 as Rescue Teams Keep Searching
KISHTWAR, Jammu and Kashmir – August 19, 2025:After finding a woman’s body this Tuesday, the death count from that terrible cloudburst in Chisoti village, Kishtwar, is now up to 64. They found her body downstream from where the cloudburst hit the hardest. It’s been six days of nonstop searching by different rescue teams in this mountain area. The whole thing started last Thursday, August 14, 2025, when a big flash flood and mudslide wiped out a market and a place where people were cooking for those on the Machail Mata Yatra. Lots of people are still missing.
What Happened Right After
The cloudburst crashed down on Chisoti village, the last stop for cars on the way to the Machail Mata shrine, on Thursday, August 14, 2025, sometime between noon and 1 p.m. All that rain all of a sudden caused a flash flood, and it took out everything—a temporary market, a security spot, and a kitchen full of people praying. People who saw it say there was a super loud noise, and then a huge wave of mud, rocks, and trees came rushing down the mountain.
They saved 167 people from all the mess, but 38 of them were in bad shape. On the first day, they knew that 46 people were dead, including two guys from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and one Special Police Officer (SPO). At first, they thought over 70 people were missing, but now they’re saying it’s more like 39 as the search goes on.
Rescue Going Full Speed
Right away, a big rescue operation started. The Army, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP), the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), and people from around here are all helping out. Army engineers put up a bridge over the Chisoti stream so people could get back to the village and the shrine.
They’ve got over ten diggers, big machines, and dogs to sniff around in all the junk. Rescuers have even blown up some big rocks to get to some spots. The search has moved downstream, with crews trying to find bodies that might have been carried away by the flood.
How Bad Is the Damage?
Chisoti is a mess. The flash flood and mudslide totally wrecked a market, a community kitchen, and a police post. People are saying that 16 houses, some government buildings, three temples, four water mills, a long bridge, and over ten cars are gone. The Machail Mata Yatra, which brings in tons of people, is canceled for now.
It’s hard to get to the area, which made things tough at first, but everyone has been working to clear the roads. The government has also set up a help center in Paddar to help the people who were hurt and give updates on the rescue efforts.
What the Government Is Doing
After it all happened, top government people jumped into action. The main guy in Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, talked to the Prime Minister and a big guy in the government, Amit Shah, who said they would help out however they could. The government is giving money to the families of those who died and to those who got hurt.
They’re also giving money to people whose houses were destroyed or damaged. Plus, the government sent some important people to watch over the rescue and make sure everyone gets the help they need.
Himalayan Problems
The Kishtwar cloudburst isn’t the only crazy weather thing that’s happened in the Himalayas this rainy season. Before this, there were flash floods in Uttarkashi and Kathua, which shows that this area is getting hit hard by the changes in the weather. A study from 2021 says that these cloudbursts are happening more often in the Himalayas.
Scientists think that the way the Himalayas are made, mixed with crazy rain, makes things risky. The steep hills and loose dirt can cause landslides and floods, which get worse when people build roads and cut down trees. This whole thing is a reminder that we need to be ready for this kind of stuff and be smarter about how we build things in the Himalayas.
What’s Next?
The search is almost over, but helping people get back on their feet will take a while. Lots of families don’t have homes anymore and lost their jobs because they depended on the people visiting the Machail Mata shrine. Right now, the government is just trying to take care of everyone and give them money.
After this, people are wondering if we can get better at warning people before disasters happen. Omar Abdullah said that they will look into whether they could have done something to prevent this, since the weather people said there would be a lot of rain. They’re hoping to learn something from this so they can be better prepared next time.
People Helping Each Other
Even though things are bad, there are stories of people being strong and helping each other out. People from the area have been helping the rescue teams since the beginning, even when it’s dangerous, just to help their neighbors. One guy, Subash Chander, who was working at the community kitchen when the cloudburst hit, said it was a miracle he got out and that the army and locals were a big help.
This whole thing is a big loss, but it also shows how brave people can be and how dedicated the rescue people are. Now, the focus is on helping people heal and rebuild their lives, which is going to be a long road for the people of Chisoti and the area around it.
