by Asif Iqbal Naik
KISHTWAR: In a tragedy that has struck the remote Chishoti village of Padder in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, at least 65 people have died and more than 200 have been injured, most of them critically, after a massive cloudburst followed by flash floods swept away homes, the Machail Mata langar, and the parking area.
Residents said that the disaster struck at around 12.20 pm on Thursday, August 14, 2025.
“All of a sudden, a smoke-like ball filled with dust, stones, and mud came rushing through the Chishoti nallah. Within no time everything was reduced to rubble and the whole area was flattened,” said eyewitness Pardeep Kumar from Bhaderwah, who escaped unhurt.
Pardeep said hundreds of people had gathered at the langar, a free community kitchen, to eat lunch. Some were crossing the bridge over the nallah, while several of his labourers working at an under-construction road bridge were also swept away in the flash floods. He added that the langar site and an adjoining CISF camp were directly hit.
The area, which only hours earlier had been filled with the joy of pilgrims heading towards their faith, was turned into a scene of devastation in what locals say is one of the deadliest such incidents in Jammu and Kashmir’s history.
Kishtwar DDC Chairperson Pooja Thakur, after visiting the site, described the situation as “catastrophic” and said over 60 people were feared dead, with more than 100 injured and undergoing treatment at the Sub-District Hospital Padder and District Hospital Kishtwar. She said it was too early to confirm the number of missing persons, but locals and eyewitnesses estimated the figure to be in the hundreds.
She said that immediately after the tragedy, she took up the matter with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who assured all possible help for rescue and relief operations.
MLA Padder Sunil Sharma said that dozens of bodies had been recovered so far, but between 500 and 800 people may be missing. He said Home Minister Amit Shah and LG Manoj Sinha had also assured support for the affected village. Sharma said the rescue operation was hampered by bad weather, and medical teams had been rushed to Padder.
He said that of the more than 100 injured, several were in critical condition. Those requiring advanced treatment at GMC Jammu were being transported by road as helicopters could not operate due to heavy rain.
Calling the incident “deeply unfortunate,” MLA Kishtwar Shagun Parihar said all injured persons would be provided the best possible treatment. Both the MLA from Padder and the MLA from Kishtwar are camping in the affected area.
- SDM Padder Dr Amit Kumar Baghat told this reporter that the identification of bodies had begun, though he could not confirm the exact casualty figure. By 5 pm on Thursday, he said, 37 bodies had been recovered.
Later in the day, around 15 more bodies were pulled from the ruins of a hotel building after locals, with the help of the SDRF team of JK Police, created temporary access to the badly hit part of the village. Two more bodies were recovered from near the CISF camp. Among the dead were two CISF jawans, while several personnel remain missing.
Tehsildar Nagsini Mohammad Rafi Naik, who is supervising the identification of the dead and injured, said 34 bodies had been brought to the Sub-District Hospital Padder. Of these, five locally identified bodies were handed over to their families. Only 10 bodies had been formally identified by the evening.
Temples, the market area, and dozens of homes were among the structures worst affected by the cloudburst.
As rescue work continues in treacherous conditions, officials fear the death toll will rise further.
