Rescue operations were ongoing on Thursday to track 20 people mislaid after a cloudburst hit Honzar village in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir with management pressing more teams into action.
Seven individuals were spotted dead and 17 others were recovered in an injured health after the remote village was impacted by the cloudburst in the early hours of Wednesday, devastating 21 houses, cow sheds, a ration depot, a bridge and a mosque.
The officials stated the joint rescue operation by police, Army and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) is underway in full fledge to trace the missing people, including nine women. Director General of Police-cum-Commandant General Home Guard, Civil Defence and SDRF, V K Singh said a squad comprising SDRF and NDRF personnel left Jammu at 5:45 AM by road for Kishtwar, while another joint squad is leaving Srinagar soon to join the rescue operation.
Two more teams comprising SDRF and NDRF personnel are at the Jammu and Srinagar airports waiting for the weather to upgrade to get airlifted, he said. He said three teams of the SDRF have already supported the rescue effort and efforts are on to trace the missing persons. The Indian Air Force (IAF) made an endeavor to airlift one of the teams on Wednesday but returned to the technical airport in Jammu due to raw weather.
Additional Director General of Police, Jammu sector, Mukesh Singh hurried to Kishtwar by road on Wednesday night and visited the wounded persons at district hospital, a police official said. Singh along with divisional commissioner Jammu Raghav Langer was also on board the IAF chopper which tried to take the SDRF team to the affected village. The Jammu and Kashmir government had declared an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the event and Rs 50,000 each and Rs 12,700 under SDRF to the grievously wounded persons.
The J-K government would support and protect the ruined families. In such trying times, it is our performance to care for those who have been unfortunately harmed by these natural calamities,” Lt Governor Manoj Sinha had said. Director, Meteorological department, Sonum Lotus said no heavy rain occurred during the night across Jammu and Kashmir. Right now the weather is generally cloudy at most locations and is likely to become partly cloudy towards afternoon.
Occasional light rain is possible at some spots during the day, he said. Most parts of Jammu sector have been receiving continual rains for the past few days and the Meteorological department has forecasted widespread sporadic rain across Jammu and Kashmir till July 30.
Heavy to very heavy rain is expected at some places and may lead to flash floods, mudslide, landslide and water logging (in low lying areas). People are suggested to be vigilant as water level has swelled in all rivers (owing to incessant rains), a representative of the MET had said.
People have been requested to keep away from hilly, landslide and mudslide prone zones.
