Five days after a cloudburst hit the Machail Mata yatra base camp in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district, killing at least 64 people, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said finding the 70 missing people alive is next to impossible.
Speaking to reporters in Hindi on Tuesday, Mr Abdullah said, "The situation in Kishtwar is in front of you. As the days go by, I think we have to assume that finding the 70-odd missing people is next to impossible. In these circumstances, our effort will be to retrieve as many bodies as possible so we can hand them over to their families and they can perform the last rites."
Mr Abdullah said the focus will also be on the rehabilitation of the people who have been affected.
After the cloudburst on August 14, massive boulders and giant conifer trees came crashing down on the village of Chisoti, flattening the Yatra base camp, a makeshift market and some temples, and damaging at least 16 houses.
Joint teams of the police, Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), CISF and Border Roads Organisation are involved in the rescue efforts.
Besides the hundreds of rescue workers, heavy machines, including rock breakers and drills, have also been deployed to break massive boulders to recover bodies.
On Monday, the White Knight Corps of the Army posted on X that a new bridge had been constructed in Chisoti, restoring connectivity
"Engineering Support in Relief Operations. Engineer Troops of #WhiteKnightCorps built a new bridge on #ChisotiNala within hours, restoring vital connectivity & facilitating relief operations at #ChisotiVillage #Kishtwar. #WhiteKnightCorps, First Responders in Jammu region, always in support of people. We Serve, We Protect!" the Corps wrote.
