Cloudburst in Kishtwar Chashoti: 46 dead, 200 missing as massive search continues; Live updates

August 14, 2025 by News Desk

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A massive cloudburst struck the Chishoti (Chasoti) area of Kishtwar district in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, triggering landslides and causing heavy destruction.

According to officials, at least 23 people have died and 75 have been injured. Rescue operations are underway in the remote, mountainous region, with evacuation efforts to move residents to safer areas.

The incident occurred along the route to the Machail Mata shrine, forcing the suspension of the annual yatra. Authorities have mobilised teams from the Civil Administration, Police, Army, NDRF, and SDRF.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said he has briefed Union Home Minister Amit Shah about the situation, calling the news “grim & accurate.”

Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar Pankaj Kumar Sharma confirmed that rescue teams are making all possible efforts to reach and assist the affected.

Experts have long warned that unsustainable development in fragile mountain regions, including rapid, unplanned construction, deforestation, and poorly designed infrastructure, can heighten the risk of such disasters, a concern underscored by recent deadly landslides in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and other Himalayan states.

Live Updates

5: 15 P.M.: Around 100 people have been injured, including 37 critically, after the Chositi cloudburst in Kishtwar. The critically injured have been shifted to the District Hospital Kishtwar, while 70 to 80 others are receiving treatment at the Sub-District Hospital in Paddar.

5:05 p.m: At least 30 people, including two CISF jawans, have died and more than 200 are missing after the cloudburst.

4:10 pm– Death toll rises to 23; 75 injured, say officials. Evacuation of residents from vulnerable areas is in progress.

3:45 pm– Heavy rain continues in Kishtwar, raising fears of further landslides.

3:20 pm – Plans to airlift the injured are being considered, weather permitting.

3:05 pm– Omar Abdullah says all possible resources are being mobilised from within and outside Jammu Kashmir.

2:40 pm– DC Kishtwar says access to the site remains difficult due to damaged roads and persistent rainfall.

7:50 PM: In Poonch, continuous rain caused the collapse of SPO Altaf Hussain Shah’s house in Gali Pindi, prompting the evacuation of five families after another home in Bandi Kama Khan village developed cracks.

7:55 PM: In Udhampur’s Ramnagar tehsil, five villages lost road connectivity after torrential rains damaged the Kougha–Chigli Pingla road, leaving residents stranded.

8:32 PM: The death toll from the Kishtwar cloudburst rose to 46, up from the earlier figure of 38, as rescue teams continued operations in the affected areas.