Fragile Himalayas

The devastation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, where a sudden cloudburst claimed at least 60 lives and left more than 100 injured, is a grim reminder of how fragile life in the Himalayas has become.

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In the ongoing operation, soldiers, police, disaster-response teams and local volunteers have scoured debris and riverbanks to find those still missing. Families across villages in Jammu, Samba, Udhampur and beyond are waiting with fading hope.

It was on August 14 that the tragedy struck Chisoti village, leveling a makeshift market, a community kitchen for pilgrims, and a security outpost near the Machail Mata shrine. The dead included security personnel on duty, something that highlights the fury of nature, sparing not even trained men. Omar Abdullah, the J&K Chief Minister, has promised an inquiry into whether warnings from the Meteorological Department were adequately acted upon, a question that must be answered honestly.