Rescuers scour debris as J&K flash flood toll hits 60, may rise

Rescuers continued digging through mud and debris in a remote Jammu & Kashmir village on Friday in search of survivors as the toll from a flash flood that tore through the hamlet a day earlier rose to 60, with several still missing, officials said.

- Ravi Krishnan Khajuria

Hundreds of personnel from security forces and disaster relief agencies were scouring Chishoti village in Kishtwar district after torrential rain triggered a deluge that swept away a community kitchen and multiple structures along the route of an annual pilgrimage.

“The loss of lives is heart breaking. According to the information received, some 60 people have lost their lives, and many more are missing. We do not know the exact figure,” J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah said during an Independence Day event.

Rescue teams comprising of army, Border Security Force (BSF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and J&K police personnel set up makeshift bridges over a rivulet, located next to the village, to bring the rescued to safety, officials aware of the matter said.

"The number of injured has gone to 116. Searches are on, but we don't have any exact number of those missing. The area has a pile of slush, boulders, trees and flattened houses. The rescuers are using 12 JCB machines to remove debris and trace missing pilgrims," an official involved in the rescue efforts said on condition of anonymity.