Jammu, Aug 15, 2025 : A National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team on Friday reached Chisoti village in Kishtwar district to assist in ongoing search and rescue operations following a devastating cloudburst that has claimed at least 46 lives and left 167 injured.
Officials said 38 of those rescued are in serious condition, and the toll may rise as more bodies are recovered. Bad weather prevented helicopter deployment, forcing the NDRF team to travel by road from Udhampur to Gulabgarh late Thursday night. Two additional teams are en route to the site.
The Army has reinforced efforts by inducting an additional column, with Rashtriya Rifles troops joining the mission. Over 300 personnel from five Army columns, supported by medical detachments of the White Knight Corps, are working alongside the police, SDRF, and civil administration.
Local volunteer groups have also stepped in. Ababeel, with nine ambulances, is retrieving bodies and transporting the injured to hospitals in Atholi and Kishtwar, while Hilal Volunteers are ferrying casualties for treatment. Officials described the scale of destruction in Chisoti as “wide and vast,” with rescue teams racing against time to save lives.
