Kishtwar 21st August :- For the eighth consecutive day, a massive, multi-agency search continues in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, a solemn mission to find 33 individuals still missing after a devastating cloudburst. The tragedy, which struck on August 14 during the sacred Machail Mata pilgrimage, has already claimed 65 lives, leaving families and a nation clinging to hope amidst the grief.
The rescue operation, a testament to human perseverance, is concentrated on three heart-wrenching sites: the area where a community kitchen once stood, a neighborhood of homes washed away, and the Bhuat stream in the Gulabgarh-Paddar area. Here, a united force of police, Army personnel, NDRF, SDRF, CISF, BRO, and brave local volunteers work shoulder-to-shoulder, combing through the devastation.
In a poignant and meticulous effort, one team is walking the entire 22-kilometer length of the stream from Chisoti to Gulabgarh, a somber journey underscored by the recent recovery of two bodies downstream. The teams face a landscape transformed by nature’s wrath, using heavy machinery, sniffer dogs, and even controlled explosions to move massive boulders and sift through the debris in their sacred duty to bring closure to waiting families.
The human cost of the flash floods is immense. Beyond the tragic loss of life, which included security personnel dedicated to protecting others, the disaster flattened a bustling pilgrim market, damaged homes and temples, and severed a crucial bridge—a symbol of connection now broken. While Army engineers have heroically restored a Bailey bridge, reconnecting the isolated village, the emotional bridge for those awaiting news remains under strain.
As the arduous task of DNA identification begins on recovered remains, senior officials supervise the ground efforts, ensuring every possible resource is deployed. The annual Machail Mata yatra remains suspended, its path of devotion now a site of a different kind of devotion—a relentless, hopeful search for the missing, a testament to the unyielding human spirit in the face of unimaginable loss.
