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Chisoti, Indian-administered Kashmir – A catastrophic cloudburst triggered torrential rains and flash floods in Chisoti, a remote town in Kishtwar district, on Thursday, August 14, 2025, killing at least 37 people, according to disaster management officials. The deluge struck around 11:30 AM local time, devastating the mountainous village, a key stop on the pilgrimage route to the Machail Mata temple dedicated to Goddess Durga.
Mohammed Irshad, a senior disaster management official, confirmed that rescue teams recovered 37 bodies and saved at least 100 people in the Himalayan village. No official count of missing persons has been reported. The floods swept away a community kitchen and a security post serving pilgrims, with many gathered for lunch being washed away, an unnamed official told Reuters.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah described the situation as “grim,” noting that details were slow to emerge due to the area's remoteness. Police, disaster response teams, and army and air force units have been mobilized for ongoing search and rescue operations, said Ramesh Kumar, Kishtwar’s divisional commissioner, in a statement to ANI news agency.
The India Meteorological Department defines a cloudburst as an extreme downpour exceeding 100mm of rain in an hour, often causing flash floods and landslides in mountainous regions during the monsoon. This marks the second major disaster in the Himalayas in just over a week, following a similar tragedy in Uttarakhand, where heavy rains buried a village under mud and debris.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah described the situation as “grim,” noting that details were slow to emerge due to the area's remoteness. Police, disaster response teams, and army and air force units have been mobilized for ongoing search and rescue operations, said Ramesh Kumar, Kishtwar’s divisional commissioner, in a statement to ANI news agency.
The India Meteorological Department defines a cloudburst as an extreme downpour exceeding 100mm of rain in an hour, often causing flash floods and landslides in mountainous regions during the monsoon. This marks the second major disaster in the Himalayas in just over a week, following a similar tragedy in Uttarakhand, where heavy rains buried a village under mud and debris.
