With bleak hope of getting loved ones back, relatives await some miracle

Kishtwar Cloudburst

Sanjeev K Sharma

JAMMU/CHASHOTI, Aug 19: The flash flood pushed massive rocks which rolled down with debris from the high mountains and landed in our village and within a few minutes all of us witnessed devastation and cries from everywhere around and all including locals and the Machail Mata pilgrims were seen running for their lives when we were told that a cloudburst has hit the area.
This was stated by a resident of the mountainous hamlet Chashoti in Kishtwar district, who also claimed that they saw entire forest behind their village moving ahead with gushing waters of the flash flood which would have washed away the entire village but the rocks already moved to the village offered a stiff resistance thereby saving many houses and lives.
It is pertinent to mention here that the cloudburst that hit the village Chashoti in Kishtwar on August 14, 2025 left over 60 people dead, about 110 injured and more than 50 missing. Chashoti falls near Paddar en-route the revered shrine of Machail Mata and most of the calamity victims were pilgrims which were either going to the shrine or returning after offering obeisance.
It was the seventh day of rescue operation today to retrieve those buried under the slush and debris which came with flash flood triggered by the cloudburst and machines along with the men were seen clearing the area of debris and rocks while the rescue workers remained busy in searching the bodies of the missing persons and some volunteers were also seen providing food, water and other help to the rescuers and others whose loved ones were missing in the tragedy and they were waiting there to get their bodies, if not some good news or miracle, while all other pilgrims of Machail Mata have almost left the area.
One such waiting person, Sham Lal Sharma, 45, said his brother Uttam Chand along with his wife Makhna Devi and their daughter Anjali Sharma left Jammu on August 13 for Machail Mata shrine for paying obeisance to the Goddess.
He informed that bodies of Uttam Chand and Makhna Devi have been recovered and he was waiting there for the body of Anjali.
Sham also said that they pin all the hopes on the Goddess Chandi of Machail shrine and wish that something good may be announced soon regarding their missing girl.
Army personnel and other rescuers were making all efforts to safely retrieve any surviving person if he/she is alive under the debris while the politicians of all hues visited the spot, met aggrieved people and left the spot uttering hefty assurances.
Emotions ran high as none of those staying-put at the spot agree that their missing loved ones have died but they continue praying to the Goddess Chandi for some miracle.
Whenever the rescuers find some dead body, all the people waiting at the spot rush to check if it was of their loved one or some unidentified one.
Sometimes the recovery is such that it shocks the awaiting people when they learn that a body without head is recovered or only a leg or some other body part of some tragedy hit victim is recovered.
Such recovered bodies or body parts are then dispatched by an ambulance already stationed there to the nearby hospital for the process of identification.
Locals informed that the social organisation, Sewa Bharti headed by Balraj from adjoining Atholi area remained the first responder to rescue the cloudburst victim.
The organisation was presently busy at the spot with over 50 volunteers serving the rescuers and they have setup kiosks for the purpose.
Balraj informed that when the tragedy struck, they immediately retrieved some trapped persons alive from the slush.
“Our volunteers are also shifting bodies of the injured to ambulances which transports them to Atholi where these are washed and new clothes are put on them before dispatching them to their homes for last rites,” he maintained adding that they will remain stationed here till the entire operation is over.
Some other organisations were also offering help to the tragedy hit people.
A local of the area informed that of the estimated 250 houses in the area, 40 have been damaged completely in the wrath of gushing waters from Chashoti rivulet.
Crying in grief, a housewife expressed her agony as her husband who worked at a Petrol Pump fell prey to the tragedy along with her 16 years old daughter.
She informed that they were devastated as her husband was the lone bread earner for their family and in his absence they were left only at the mercy of God.
More and more such heart wrenching stories are going viral making rounds on social media wherein the missing of two young girls from Jallandhar district of Punjab is the one and all are offering prayers for the safety and wellbeing of the missing persons while the truth is that chances of their survival are almost bleak.
However, the sky was still dark at Chashoti area with clouds hovering over the sky while the authorities were on an alert mode leaving no stone unturned to prevent any untoward incident again.

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