Defence Minister meets Kishtwar cloudburst injured in Jammu hospital

Jammu, Aug 25 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday met the Kishtwar cloudburst injured at the Government Medical College (GMC) hospital in Jammu.

During his visit to the hospital, he reviewed the medical arrangements for the injured people of Chashoti village cloudburst in Kishtwar district.

Speaking to reporters after his hospital visit, Rajnath Singh said that he had come to meet the people injured in the Chashoti tragedy.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is very much concerned about the sufferers of the Kishtwar cloudburst, and he is personally monitoring the whole situation.

"Due to bad weather, I could not reach the spot. However, I am relieved that all patients admitted here are out of danger and recovering well. I appreciate the doctors for their dedication," he said.

After his visit to GMC hospital, the Defence Minister proceeded to the Raj Bhavan along with Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha and MoS in the PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh, to hold a virtual interaction with the bereaved families of Chashoti village.

Leader of Opposition in the J&K Assembly, Sunil Sharma, has announced that the rebuilding of Chashoti village, which was severely affected by the cloudburst, will start shortly.

"A high-level meeting will soon outline the roadmap for reconstructing homes before the onset of winter. Our goal is to restore the village’s former glory and ensure rehabilitation of all those who lost their homes and livelihoods," the BJP MLA said.

Sharma has been camping at the disaster site since August 15, and he has been personally engaged in the rescue and relief operation.

On August 14, a massive cloudburst hit the Chashoti area of the Paddar sub-division in Kishtwar district, resulting in a huge loss of human lives and damage to property.

As many as 64 bodies have been recovered so far from the cloudburst debris, while many people are still missing.

The chances of the missing persons having survived the disaster are now very bleak.

The rescue teams are working at multiple locations, especially the major impact spot near a langar (community kitchen) site, sifting through the rubble using heavy machinery, including earth movers and sniffer dogs.

With the recovery of one more body, the death toll in the flash floods triggered by the cloudburst on August 14 in Chashoti village, the last motorable village en route to the Machail Mata temple, has risen to 64.

The dead included three CISF personnel and a special police officer (SPO) of J&K Police.

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