Chief Minister Omar Abdullah confirmed the grim situation, stating that verified information was slow to arrive due to the remote location. “I just spoke to the Union Home Minister @AmitShah Sb to brief him about the developing situation in Kishtwar region of Jammu. The news is grim & accurate, verified information from the area hit by the cloudburst is slow in arriving,” he said. He added that all available resources were being mobilized for rescue efforts.Omar Abdullah has cancelled the ‘At Home’ tea party and cultural events planned for Independence Day on Friday following the devastating cloudburst.In a post on X, Abdullah said that in light of the tragedy, he had decided to cancel the tea party scheduled for Friday evening and the cultural events during the morning Independence Day celebrations. He added that the formal events, including the speech and march past, would proceed as planned.At least 38 bodies had been recovered so far, but the toll could rise as many pilgrims and locals were in the area when the disaster struck. “There was a parking lot and langar in the area. Besides, there was a CRPF camp in the area,” she said. “Lot of people are trapped because it was a yatra time. This year there was heavy rush for the yatra,” said Kishtwar DDC Chairperson.Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, who is coordinating rescue efforts, said bad weather was preventing helicopters from reaching the site. “Road has been washed off and the weather is not helicopter-worthy. Meanwhile, SDRF and NDRF support is being mobilised,” he said.Leader of Opposition and BJP MLA Sunil Kumar Sharma expressed concerns over large-scale devastation, given the heavy pilgrim footfall. “Due to the ongoing Machail Mata Yatra, there is a heavy rush of people. Due to yatra, people have set up small shops, there are vehicles, there are people and there are villages around,” he said.The Machail Mata Yatra, which began on July 25 and was scheduled to continue until September 5, has been suspended following the tragedy. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha expressed grief over the incident, stating, “Anguished by cloudburst in Chositi Kishtwar. Condolences to bereaved families & prayers for quick recovery of injured. Directed Civil, Police, Army, NDRF & SDRF officials to strengthen the rescue & relief operations and ensure all possible assistance is provided to the affected.”Rescue teams from the NDRF, SDRF, police, and civil administration are working at the site, while ambulances have been deployed to evacuate the injured. However, with roads washed away and continuous rain, relief efforts remain challenging.(With inputs from PTI)
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