Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday visited Chasoti village in Kishtwar district to personally review the damage caused by the devastating flash floods triggered by a cloudburst. The tragedy, which struck on August 14, has so far claimed 60 lives, left over 100 injured, and dozens missing.

Rescue and relief operations are continuing in the area. While official figures put the number of missing at 75, locals fear that the actual toll could be much higher, with many believed to have been swept away or trapped under debris, boulders, and wooden logs.

The Chief Minister, who had arrived in Kishtwar on Friday evening, traveled to Chasoti early Saturday morning by road, accompanied by his political advisor Nasir Aslam Wani. At the site, a senior Army officer briefed him about the ongoing operations. Abdullah was also given a virtual reality assessment to better understand the scale of destruction.

The disaster struck Chasoti — the last motorable stop on the route to the Machail Mata temple — around 12:25 pm on August 14, flattening a temporary market, a community kitchen for pilgrims, and even a security post.

The flash floods also destroyed 16 houses and government buildings, three temples, four water mills, a 30-meter-long bridge, and over a dozen vehicles.

The annual Machail Mata Yatra, which began on July 25 and was scheduled to conclude on September 5, has now been suspended for the third straight day due to the disaster. The 8.5-km trek to the shrine, located at an altitude of 9,500 feet, starts from Chasoti — about 90 km from Kishtwar town.