Share & more
At least 60 people have been killed and more than 200 remain missing after a massive cloudburst struck a remote mountain village in Indian-administered Kashmir.
The sudden deluge triggered flash floods on 14 August that swept away homes, makeshift camps, and entire buildings along a route where hundreds had gathered for an annual Hindu pilgrimage.
More than 100 people have also been injured in the disaster that hit the village of Chasoti in Kishtwar district, according to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who was speaking during an independence day event in Srinagar.
Rescuers, including local volunteers, army units, and disaster response teams are racing against time to find survivors trapped in debris or swept downstream. So far, 56 bodies have been recovered, AFP reported, quoting a senior disaster management official. Officials warn that the death toll could rise as search operations continue in difficult terrain and still-heavy rains.
The disaster comes just a week after deadly floods and a mudslide in neighbouring Uttarakhand state, where dozens remain missing. Together, the incidents underscore the increasing toll of extreme weather events in the fragile Himalayan region.
“Reckless development is destabilising the mountains,” said Showkat Sheikh, a professor in Jammu & Kashmir. “Dams, tunnels, roads, tourism infrastructure – all of this disrupts the natural balance. The natives are the ones paying the price, losing homes and loved ones to floods and landslides.”
While floods and landslides are common during the June-September monsoon, experts say their frequency and intensity are rising due to climate change and poorly planned construction. The valley has sensitive topography, with steep mountains and deep gorges, making it vulnerable to cloudbursts.
The India Meteorological Department defines a cloudburst as a sudden, extreme downpour of over 100mm (4 inches) of rain in an hour. In steep mountain valleys, these events can unleash torrents powerful enough to wash away entire settlements.
Kishtwar is home to several hydroelectric projects, a source of concern for environmentalists like Raja Muzaffar Bhat, who say large-scale infrastructure developments are further destabilising slopes and altering river systems.
“Massive rush of people in this environmentally fragile place, along with haphazard construction of houses and roads, is choking natural waterways and streams.”
“The mountains have been plundered and damaged by hydroelectric companies, and this devastation is only a glimpse of what could come in the future,” Bhat told The New Humanitarian.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged “every possible assistance” to affected communities, but survivors say immediate needs include shelter, clean water, medical aid, and safe transport for those stranded by washed-out roads.
With climate extremes becoming more common in the Himalayas, aid agencies and local communities warn that the region’s disaster preparedness and infrastructure remain dangerously inadequate.
Raja Muzaffar Bhat, a climate activist and writer based in Kashmir, said the tragedy was worsened by unchecked tourism and construction.
“Massive rush of people in this environmentally fragile place, along with haphazard construction of houses and roads, is choking natural waterways and streams,” Bhat told The New Humanitarian over the phone.
Bhat said the annual Hindu pilgrimage, which once saw only a small number of pilgrims making the journey on foot over the course of a week, has now been transformed by road-building and prolonged to run from 25 July to 5 September.
“Last year, 300,000 people visited the area. This year, the target was 500,000,” he said. “Who allowed all this needs to be investigated, and officials must be held accountable.”
Across the wider Himalayan region, extreme monsoon weather continues to wreak havoc.
Since June, floods, landslides, and hailstorms have killed at least 41 people and left 21 missing in neighbouring Nepal, according to the country's disaster management office. In Pakistan, more than 50 people were killed overnight in rain-related incidents across the mountainous north, while in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, eight people died as rescue teams evacuated stranded tourists, Reuters reported.
Edited by Andrew Gully.
