Chisoti (Kishtwar), August 19, 2025 : Rescuers on Tuesday recovered the body of a woman in cloudburst-hit Chisoti village, raising the death toll to 64 as massive search and relief operations entered their sixth day.
Officials said the body, found in a decomposed state downstream, was retrieved this morning after weather improvement allowed intensified searches. Sniffer dogs also helped locate a lower body part under the debris of a collapsed house, believed to belong to a victim recovered earlier.
The August 14 cloudburst in Chisoti—the last motorable village on the route to the Machail Mata shrine—triggered flash floods that devastated the area, flattening a langar site and makeshift market, damaging 16 houses, three temples, government buildings, four water mills, a bridge, and more than a dozen vehicles. Among the dead are three CISF personnel and one J&K Police SPO.
So far, 167 people have been rescued, while the number of missing has dropped to 39 after revision of records. “We have cleared a large area upstream and are now sending teams downstream as well,” said DySP SDRF Masoof Ahmad Mirza, stressing that the operation is running on a war footing.
The Army’s White Knight Corps said five relief columns and additional medical teams are deployed. A Bailey bridge was constructed over the Chisoti nullah on Sunday to restore connectivity, while all-terrain vehicles and controlled explosions have been used to clear boulders obstructing searches.
Joint teams of the Army, NDRF, SDRF, CISF, BRO, police, civil administration, and local volunteers remain engaged in the mission. Over a dozen earth movers and sniffer dog squads are assisting in sifting through debris.
The Machail Mata yatra, suspended for six days, remains halted, though a special group carrying the ‘Charri’ will be allowed to proceed to the shrine on August 21 or 22. The pilgrimage involves an 8.5 km trek from Chisoti to the 9,500-ft-high shrine.
