A cloudburst in Sapphire-rich Padder has left at least 60 people dead and more than 100 injured, overwhelming rescue teams struggling against rain, landslides, and washed-out roads as survivors wait for help, Syed Shadab Ali Gillani reports
A massive cloudburst struck a remote hamlet in the Chenab Valley’s Kishtwar region on the afternoon of August 14, killing around 60 people and injuring more than 100. Rescue teams battled treacherous mountainous terrain to reach survivors, with officials warning that the death toll was likely to rise as many remained unaccounted for.
Eyewitnesses and volunteers described a scene of chaos, saying it was impossible to keep an accurate count of the dead and missing. Most of those killed were pilgrims, alongside two personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). The absence of a shrine board for the Machail Mata Yatra meant no official tally of how many people had been present when disaster struck.
The yatra draws pilgrims from most of the Jammu region. Medical records showed that most victims came from Jammu city, Udhampur, Samba, and Akhnoor. Officials said that close to 40 of the injured were in critical condition, while dozens more were believed to have been swept away in the flash floods triggered by the cloudburst.
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The Pilgrim Route
Chashoti is the last motorable village on the route to the Machail Mata shrine, considered sacred by the Hindus. Eyewitnesses said a large number of devotees had gathered there for the annual yatra, which began on July 25 and was scheduled to conclude on September 5. From Chashoti, pilgrims trek nearly 9 kilometres to reach the shrine, located at an altitude of 9,500 feet. The pilgrimage, first undertaken in 1987, has continued each year since. It falls in the Sapphire-rich Padder belt, a Hindu-dominated area bordering Himachal that was declared a full-fledged constituency recently.
Sunil Sharma, a BJP leader and legislator from the newly formed Padder-Nagseni constituency, said dozens of bodies had been recovered, but hundreds remained missing. He said Home Minister Amit Shah and Lt Governor Manoj Sinha had assured support to the affected village. The rescue effort, he explained, was slowed by heavy rain, and helicopters could not operate, forcing critical patients to be transported by road to Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu.
Pooja Thakur, Chairperson of the Kishtwar District Development Council, visited the site and described it as catastrophic. She said many had died, with over 100 injured receiving treatment at the Sub-District Hospital Padder and District Hospital Kishtwar, while some were referred to GMC Jammu. Although the exact number of missing persons was unclear, residents and eyewitnesses feared it could be in the hundreds. She said that those buried overnight under the debris were unlikely to survive. Thakur added that she had immediately raised the matter with the Chief Minister, who promised all possible assistance for rescue and relief.
Pilgrimage Suspended
The Jammu and Kashmir administration, under Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, suspended the unregulated pilgrimage. Sinha said rescue and relief operations were in full swing, adding that the Air Force had been placed on alert for evacuation. He expressed his anguish over the disaster and said the government stood alongside the affected families.
Chief Minister posted helpline numbers on X and cancelled the ‘At Home’ tea party planned for the evening of August 15. He also called off the cultural events scheduled for the Independence Day morning celebrations, though the formal proceedings, such as the speech and march past, went ahead.
Abdullah described the situation as grim and noted that verified information was slow to emerge from the affected region. He said all possible resources were being mobilised and updates would be provided by the government. His office confirmed it was in constant contact with the district administration to coordinate relief and rescue. On August 15, Abdullah announced that he would travel to Kishtwar that afternoon and visit the site early the next morning to review the rescue operations and assess what more was needed.
Rescue Efforts
Volunteers from Ababeel, a charitable trust based in Kishtwar, said the organisation had deployed at least nine ambulances to assist in rescue and relief work. “A huge cloudburst triggered flash floods in Chashoti and adjoining areas, Kishtwar. Many lives have been lost and several residential houses, makeshift tents, car parking, and community kitchen were washed away,” a volunteer said.
Officials confirmed that rescue teams led by Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar, Pankaj Kumar Sharma, and senior police officers were assessing the situation. NDRF and SDRF teams, along with local police, non-governmental organisations, and villagers, were engaged in the effort to save as many lives as possible.
A team from Chenab Rescuers, an NGO working primarily in the Chenab region, had been called in to search for bodies in the river. “We have been searching for bodies in the river since morning but have not found anything yet,” said Mushtaq Ahmed, the NGO’s founder.
Weather Patterns
Senior Scientist at the Meteorological Department, Kashmir, Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, said cloudbursts typically occurred when the monsoon trough remained over the Himalayan foothills and large volumes of moisture from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal accumulated around mountainous regions. Because of the terrain, cloudbursts were more frequent in mountain areas.
“A cloudburst is defined as more than 100 mm of rainfall in an hour, and in hilly regions, such intensity causes severe runoff. The water flows with high velocity, affecting rocks, trees, houses, and anything in its path. This is why cloudbursts in the Himalayas are often devastating,” Mukhtar said.
With rising global temperatures, the atmosphere’s moisture-holding capacity increased by about seven per cent for every degree of warming. This had already been verified, and in the context of climate change, cloudbursts were expected to become more frequent. Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Rajouri, Reasi, and Udhampur remained vulnerable due to their terrain and moisture availability.
Not all cloudbursts resulted in loss of life or property, as the outcome depended on geography. If the burst occurred in an uninhabited valley or drainage channel, the water flowed away without much damage. However, if there were a settlement downstream, the consequences could be severe. Encroachment near nallahs where cloudbursts had historically occurred increased vulnerability.
To improve preparedness, Doppler weather radars were already operational in Srinagar, Jammu, and Banihal. Additional radars were being installed in Poonch-Rajouri, Doda-Kishtwar, and across Kashmir to enhance high-rainfall forecasting and enable early warnings. “We cannot prevent cloudbursts, but we can issue timely alerts and relocate vulnerable populations, animals, or movable assets. While immovable property remains at risk, early warning systems help reduce loss of life and critical damage.”
“The occurrence of cloudbursts in the same area again depends on the monsoon trough’s position. When it is over the northern belt, mountain areas are at higher risk. As it shifts south, the northern regions dry out and the southern areas see more rainfall. It is all about where the system sits at a given time,” said Mukhtar.
At the time of filing this story, Jammu and Kashmir had witnessed more than six cloudbursts in 24 hours. Rescue operations were still ongoing in Padder, and with every passing hour, the death toll was increasing.
Leaders React
The devastating cloudburst in the Chosoti area of Padder in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district set off a wave of political reactions, with leaders across the spectrum expressing sorrow and calling for intensified rescue operations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a post on X, said, “My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the cloudburst and flooding in Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir. The situation is being monitored closely. Rescue and relief operations are underway. Every possible assistance will be provided to those in need.”
Home Minister Amit Shah said he had spoken with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, confirming that teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) had been rushed to the site and were already engaged in rescue work. He assured that the Centre was closely tracking the developments.
Lt Governor Manoj Sinha offered condolences and instructed officials from the Civil Administration, Police, Army, NDRF, and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to intensify operations. Omar Abdullah described the situation as grim and said that all available resources were being mobilised. His office stated that it was in constant contact with the district administration.
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Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office and Member of Parliament from Udhampur, Dr Jitendra Singh, reported that washed-out roads and persistent bad weather were making it difficult to deploy helicopters. He said that despite logistical challenges, rescue teams were being mobilised. Singh said he first received alerts from local MLA and Leader of Opposition Sunil Kumar Sharma, who had called the situation “devastating” and was heading to the affected site.
In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi wrote, “The news of several deaths and many people missing due to the devastation caused by a cloudburst in Kishtwar, Jammu & Kashmir, is extremely tragic. I express my deep condolences to the affected families and hope for the swift recovery of those who are missing. I urge the administration to expedite relief and rescue operations. I request Congress leaders and workers to cooperate with the administration and provide all possible assistance to those in need.”
Other political leaders, including Mehbooba Mufti, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Altaf Bukhari, Sajad Lone, M Y Tarigami, Ravinder Raina, Mehraj Malik, and Sajjad Shaheen, also expressed grief and demanded urgent measures to speed up the rescue efforts. Shaheen linked the disaster to climate change, calling for action on a war footing.
M Y Tarigami, CPI(M) leader and MLA from Kulgam, expressed deep sorrow over the loss of life in the cloudburst at Chosoti, which had triggered flash floods along the route to the annual Machail Mata Yatra. Calling it a “deeply sad moment for all,” he said the tragedy required an immediate and coordinated response. “The government should announce compensation for the deceased without delay, ensure proper treatment for the injured, and expedite rescue operations,” he said.
Tarigami warned that Jammu and Kashmir, being an ecologically fragile region, was among the most vulnerable to climate change in the Indian Himalayan belt. “Jammu and Kashmir’s fragile environment is under increasing strain from multiple factors, from global warming and reckless urban growth to deforestation and the neglect of our water bodies. Over the past two decades, the signs of climate change have become unmistakable, with erratic weather bringing drought-like conditions in some areas and devastating flash floods, windstorms, and cloudbursts in others,” he said.
