Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah August 16 visited Chasoti village in Kishtwar district, where a devastating cloudburst triggered flash floods that left at least 60 people dead and dozens missing.
Abdullah met grieving families, reviewed the ongoing rescue and relief operations, and received a detailed briefing from Army personnel on the scale of the destruction.
Using a Virtual Reality (VR) headset to assess the damage, he assured immediate support for the affected households.
“The number of missing persons is still being verified.
Once rescue and relief conclude, we will examine whether preventive steps could have been taken after the Met Department’s warning,” Abdullah told reporters, lauding the joint efforts of the Army, NDRF, SDRF, police, and district administration on the ground.
The cloudburst, which struck August 14 along the pilgrimage route of the Machail Mata Yatra, unleashed flash floods that swept away homes and left a trail of devastation.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh also visited Chesoti on Friday evening to take stock of the situation.
Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force has been placed on standby, with two Mi-17 helicopters and an Advanced Light Helicopter stationed in Jammu and Udhampur for possible deployment.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day address, expressed solidarity with families affected by natural disasters across the country, including those in Kishtwar.
