CHOSITI – In a remote area of Indian-administered Kashmir, rescuers continued their search on Friday for individuals missing after sudden floods, caused by heavy rainfall, resulted in at least 60 fatalities, according to officials.
Teams of disaster management officials, police and soldiers helped by local villagers scoured the devastated Himalayan village of Chositi on Friday.
Though rescue operations were stopped overnight, at least 300 individuals were saved on Thursday when a severe cloudburst caused floods and landslides. Many of the missing are feared to have been swept away, and additional rescue teams are being sent to the location to bolster the ongoing efforts.
Over 50 individuals with serious injuries received treatment at local hospitals. Many of those rescued were found in a stream filled with mud and debris. Mohammed Irshad, a disaster management official, indicated that the number of missing persons might rise.
Weather officials forecast more heavy rains and floods in the area.
Chositi, set in the Himalayas in Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, is the last motor-accessible village on the path to a sacred Hindu site situated at 3,000 meters (9,500 feet) elevation, about 8 kilometers (5 miles) away from the village.
Officials said the pilgrimage, which began July 25 and was scheduled to end on Sept. 5, was suspended.
The floods destroyed the central kitchen facility for the pilgrims and swept away numerous vehicles and motorbikes. Officials report that more than 200 pilgrims were present in the kitchen during the flood, which also caused significant damage or destruction to many homes in the nearby foothills.
Images and footage shared on social media reveal extensive devastation, with personal belongings scattered amid damaged vehicles and homes in the village. On Friday, authorities constructed temporary bridges to aid stranded pilgrims in crossing a muddy stream.
Sudden, intense downpours over small areas known as cloudbursts are increasingly common in India’s Himalayan regions, which are prone to flash floods and landslides. Cloudbursts have the potential to wreak havoc by causing intense flooding and landslides, impacting thousands of people in the mountainous regions.
Experts say cloudbursts have increased in recent years partly because of climate change, while damage from the storms also has increased because of unplanned development in mountain regions.
Kishtwar district is home to multiple hydroelectric power projects, which experts have long warned pose a threat to the region’s fragile ecosystem.
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