 Atul Sharma
Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 22: Eight days after a devastating cloudburst triggered flash floods in Chisoti village of Kishtwar district, the recovery of nearly as many severed limbs as intact bodies has left villagers and medical personnel at Atholi Sub-District Hospital deeply shaken.
On Thursday, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah confirmed that 65 bodies have been recovered so far, of which 62 have been identified. The remaining three are yet to be identified due to severe mutilation. Authorities have decided to conduct DNA profiling of both unidentified bodies and severed limbs to ascertain their identities.
The Atholi hospital, located about 30 km from the disaster site, has been at the forefront of receiving the remains retrieved from the flood-hit area.
Earlier this week, on Monday, an intact body and a severed leg were recovered during rescue operations. The following day, four more bodies and two severed feet were found, taking the confirmed death toll to 65.
Reports said that the remains have been sent to GMC Kishtwar for DNA profiling. "DNA samples of relatives have also been collected and are being matched with the remains recovered from the debris," sources said.
Initially, there was no consolidated list of missing persons. However, as rescue efforts progressed, relatives of the missing pilgrims came forward to provide information to the Command and Control Centre set up by the district administration.
The cloudburst occurred on August 14, triggering sudden flash floods that wreaked havoc in Chisoti, a key stop on the Machail Mata pilgrimage route. At the time, a large group of pilgrims had gathered at a langar (community kitchen) when the surging waters washed them away.
The disaster also flattened a makeshift market, damaged 16 houses, several government buildings, three temples, a 30-metre-long bridge, and four water mills, adding to the scale of destruction.
Rescue and relief operations are being carried out by teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), CISF, Border Roads Organisation (BRO), Army, police, civil administration, and local volunteers.
According to official figures, 137 people were initially reported missing. Of these, 62 were rescued alive, and several others safely made it home. As of now, 33 people remain untraced. |
