Flash floods: Rescue operation continues for 2nd straight day in Kishtwar

Srinagar, Jul 29: The rescue operation continued for the second straight day on Thursday to trace the 19 persons who went missing in the flash floods triggered by the cloudburst in Honzar Dachhan area in Kishtwar district yesterday while two more dead bodies have been recovered in Rajouri district since last evening, taking the death toll due to weather fury to 10 in the twin districts.
Pertinently, eight persons—seven in Kishtwar and one in Rajouri district, died on Wednesday in the flash floods on Wednesday while 17 others were rescued. However, 19 persons as per the officials are still missing and rescue operation has been going on to trace them.
In Rajouri district, two more bodies have been recovered since last evening, taking the toll of deaths due to flash floods to 10 in twin districts of Jammu region, officials said.
“Two dead bodies have been recovered since last evening in Rajouri district. One body was recovered from flood water in Nowshera on Thursday afternoon while another was recovered in Kalakote area late last evening,” they said.
The death toll in Rajouri district has mounted to three since Wednesday. Notably, a non-local labourer from Chhattisgarh got washed away in flash floods yesterday.
Moreover, three persons, who were stuck in flooded river in Dhangri area of the district, were rescued by Army today.
Meanwhile, the rescue operation continued for the second straight day in Kishtwar district where NDRF and SDRF teams have been called from Jammu, Udhampur and Srinagar districts.
The operation continued today to trace the missing 19 persons today, officials said while identifying the missing persons as Saja Begum, 60, wife of Ghulam Mohidin, Khursheed Ahmed, 31, son of Muhammad Iqbal, Fida Hussain, 26, son of Muhammad Ramzan, Muhammad Sharif, 40, son of Ghulam Rasool, Almina Tasbassum, 22, daughter of Muhammad Iqbal, Mata Begum, 45, wife of Lala Tantrey, Ghulam Muhammad, 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 Muhammad, Shakir Hussain, 22, son of Ghulam Ahmed, Ghulam Ahmed, 65, son of Abdul Aziz, Zubaida Banoo, 25, daughter Ghulam Ahmed, Khalid, son of Haji Gami.
During the rescue operation in Kishtwar, three helicopters of IAF—one each from Jammu, Udhampur and Srinagar were utilized for airlifting SDRF and NDRF teams to Kishtwar, officials said.
The helicopters flew a total of eight sorties, transferring relief load of 2250 Kgs, 44 NRDF and SDRF personnel, for medical assistants and evaluation of two stretcher patients from Sondar, they said.
They said that during the rescue operation, the missing persons couldn’t be traced, adding that the operation would continue for tomorrow as well.
It is worth to mention here that during the intervening night of Tuesday-Wednesda, an incident of cloudburst took place in Honzar Dachhan area, in which 19 residential houses were completely damaged whereas two houses were partially damaged and 21 cowsheds also got damaged.
Seven people also died in the incident, who have been identified as Sara Begum, wife of Ghulam Muhammad, Rakila Begum, wife of Zakir Ahmed (Nomad), Ghulam Nabi, son of Ghulam Rasool, Abdul Majid, son of Nazir Ahmed, Zaytoon Begum, wife of Haji Lal Din (Nomad), Touseef Iqbal, son of Muhammad Iqbal and Ghulam Mohi-Ud-Din, son of Nasarullah.