Chasoti: The air is heavy with grief in this village of Padder subdivision in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district in the aftermath of the devastating flash floods triggered by a cloudburst on Thursday afternoon that left over 60 people — mostly pilgrims — dead and an unspecified number of people missing.
At least 13 local villagers, including two priests, are among those feared dead in the deluge which dumped giant boulders, logs and large quantities of silt, transforming the picturesque village surrounded by mountains into a landscape of ruin.
“My father, Bodh Raj, and uncle Dinanath were performing priest duties in the local temple. Both of them, along with some 15 people, were washed away in the flash floods. He (Bodh Raj) had asked me to apply ‘Tilak’ on my forehead but I had refused and left before the tragedy struck,” an inconsolable Nirmala Devi said on Friday.
Recalling the sequence of events, she said that she had gone to a water mill for wheat grinding and while returning home visited the temple.
“I saw him (father) sitting among some 20 devotees. He was applying a tilak on their forehead and also asked me to come forward. I said that my uncle had applied the tilak on my forehead in the morning. Had I stopped there for a tea break or lunch, I would have also gone with them,” she told PTI.
With tears in her eyes, Nirmala said the memory will haunt her for the rest of her life. “I should have had the tilak with his hands at least one last time.”
Besides the temple, over 10 residential houses, six government buildings, two other temples, four water mills, a 30-metre span bridge and over a dozen vehicles were damaged in the flash floods in the village and downstream.
“After hearing a big bang, I thought we had been struck by an earthquake. I cried and went upstairs to see what was happening. The scene frightened me as I watched the devastation on my own, including the destruction of the temple,” she said.
Chasoti, the last motorable village on the way to Machail Mata temple, was abuzz with activities as hundreds of devotees, mostly from Jammu and other districts including Udhampur and Reasi, had gathered at a langer (community Kitchen) adjacent to a makeshift market when the flash floods took them by surprise.
The annual Machail Mata yatra commenced on July 25 and so far, over two lakh pilgrims had visited the 9500 ft-high shrine, which is an 8.5 km trek from the village, located around 90 km from Kishtwar town. The Yatra, which is scheduled to end on September 5, remained suspended for the second day on Friday.
So far, 167 people have been rescued in injured condition, while 69 are reported missing by their relatives. Many more are believed to be trapped following the deluge, which flattened a makeshift market, a langar (community kitchen) site for the yatra, and a security outpost.
The rescue and relief operation was suspended late Thursday night and was started with the first light of the day despite the rains, with rescuers comprising police, army, NDRF, SDRF personnel, and local volunteers sifting through the rubble to find survivors.
Videos showed torrents of muddy water, silt, and rubble tearing through the steep slopes, destroying everything in the way. Houses folded over like a pack of cards, rocks came tumbling down, blocking roads and rescue paths, the mudslide turning the verdant landscape to a grim brown-grey.
Bilu Kumar, one of the victims who lost his house, said at least 13 locals from the village lost their lives in the incident. “While bodies of 10 of them were recovered, three still remained untraced.”
Head Constable of J-K Police Ramesh Chander said he was posted as a guard at the langer site and was frightened by the sound of the cloudburst.
“The earth beneath my feet started shaking… I saw people who could not run on time getting buried or swept away. The scene was horrific,” he said.
Local BJP MLA and Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, who rushed to the village on Thursday, said several hundred people were present in the affected area and are believed to be trapped under the debris.
“The rescuers are on the job and the Home Minister (Amit Shah) contacted me for the second time in as many days and informed me that they will rush more rescue teams provided there is improvement in the weather,” he said and assured of a relief package for the affected families and rebuilding of the damaged infrastructure.
He said around 15,000 people were present at the shrine the previous day during the cloudburst. Some 4,000 have already left for their destinations and the rest are being cleared with the army constructing a Bailey bridge by Friday evening to facilitate the movement of the stranded pilgrims.
Police and security forces have set up a makeshift bridge of logs on the stream and are helping the people returning from the shrine to reach their destinations.
“We are thankful to our rescuers, especially the police and the army, for their assistance,” Monika Devi, a resident of the Satwari area of Jammu, said.
She said they were on their way back from the shrine and were near the langer site when a security jawan was directing people to safer places but he was “swept away before our eyes”.
Two CISF personnel were among the 60 people reported dead in the incident so far.
Banu Pratap Singh, a resident of Katra who is providing seva to the pilgrims, said he has been associated with the yatra for the last 11 years but such an incident had occurred for the first time.
“The administration and the rescuers are doing a very good job and hopefully, the yatra will start soon. People are advised not to panic,” he said. (PTI)
