Success eluded rescuers on Thursday as none of the 19 missing persons including eight women were found at Honzar village in Kishtwar district where a cloudburst occurred on intervening night intervening night of July 27 and 28. So far seven people have died while seventeen others were rescued in injured condition, five of them critically.
Police, army, local volunteers besides teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and SDRF are at the site for rescue and relief operation, the officials said.
“Rescue operation is still going on led by SSP Kishtwar at Honzar Dachhan Kishtwar to find out the missing persons,” police said in a tweet. It also released video clips of the rescue operation including the one in which police personnel and SDRP are seen pulling a vast tree and pushing it aside. Why cutters or other equipments were not used or whether the rescuers are properly equipped could not be ascertained immediately.
The authorities also released names of the missing persons and they include Saja Begum (60) wife of Ghulam Mohidin, Khursheed Ahmed (31) son of Mohammad Iqbal, Fida Hussain (26) son of Mohammad Ramzan, Mohammad Sharif (40) son of Ghulam Rasool, Almina Tasbassum (22) daughter of Mohammad Iqbal, Mata Begum (45) wife of Lala Tantry, Ghulam Mohammad (70) son of Ghulam Rasool, Fazal Hussain (18) son of Rustom Ali Chopan, Tariq Hussain (50) son of Nazir Ahmed, Zarina Begum (40) wife of Tariq Hussain, Mata Begum (45) wife of Ghulam Rasool, Fatima Begum (56) wife of Ghulam Ahmed, Bashir Ahmed (45) son of Rustum Ali, Begum (45) wife of Abdul Rehman, Sharifa Begum (38) wife of Ghulam Mohammad, Shakir Hussain (22) son of Ghulam Ahmed, Ghulam Ahmed (65) son of Abdul Aziz, Zubaida Banoo (25) daughter of Ghulam Ahmed and Khalid son of Haji Gami.
The officials told GNS that rescue teams are putting in all efforts to reach the victims of the natural calamity.
The J&K administration has already announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the tragic cloudburst in Kishtwar.
Meanwhile, ADGP Jammu Zone Mukesh Singh (IPS) reached Kishtwar district last night and visited District Hospital where he met the injured person who suffered injuries in the cloudburst, the officials added. (GNS)