Kishtwar landslide: A month on, 36 persons still missing

September 17, 2025 by News Desk

More than a month after a devastating cloudburst triggered flash floods in Chishoti village of Padder in Jammu’s Kishtwar district, the fate of 36 missing people remains shrouded in uncertainty. Families of the untraced victims, who were swept away by the flood on August 14, continue to live in limbo as official search and rescue operations have now been called off.

The disaster struck as thousands of devotees visiting the revered Machail Mata shrine were partaking in a community meal alongside locals. In a matter of minutes, walls of water mixed with boulders and mud swept through the area, washing away lives, property, and livestock. The calamity left at least 66 people confirmed dead and 115 others injured.

Despite weeks of extensive operations, scores of victims remain missing. The official records note 31 people as untraced, though locals insist the number is higher, putting the figure at 36. After exhausting all options, the administration formally wound up its operations, withdrawing men and machinery from the site.

“We don’t know whether to mourn or to hope. Without knowing the fate of our loved ones, there can be no peace,” said one relative, waiting on the banks of the Chenab where recovery efforts had been concentrated.

Officials maintain that there is a legal process for declaring missing persons dead. “It requires a magisterial probe after which the missing people will be declared dead,” Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Padder Amit Kumar told reporters. Until then, the missing remain listed as untraced, their status frozen between life and death.

Authorities have already announced compensation for the deceased and injured, but relatives of the missing remain caught in bureaucratic procedures. They argue that the government should expedite the magisterial inquiry to officially acknowledge the deaths, enabling families to access relief and rebuild their lives. [KNT]