Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday spoke to Lieutenant Governor and Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir to take stock of the situation following a massive cloudburst in Kishtwar and assured them all possible help needed by the people.
The cloudburst that struck the remote village of Chasoti killed at least 12 people and led to widespread damage, officials said.
Shah also said that the local administration is conducting relief and rescue operations and teams of the National Disaster Response Force have rushed to the site.
“Spoke with the LG and Chief Minister of J&K on the cloudburst in Kishtwar district. The local administration is conducting relief and rescue operations. NDRF teams have promptly been rushed to the site,” he wrote on ‘X’.
The home minister said the central government is closely monitoring the situation and stand firmly with the people of Jammu and Kashmir through every situation. “Assured of all possible assistance to the people in need,” he said.
The disaster hit Chasoti, the last motorable village on the way to the Machail Mata temple, between 12 noon and 1 pm when a large number of people had gathered for the Machail Mata yatra. It is an 8.5 km trek to the shrine from Chasoti.
Twelve bodies have been recovered and there are fears that the toll could rise, officials said.
