Rescue and relief operations resumed early Friday in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir after a night-long pause, as authorities continued the search for survivors trapped under rubble and mud following a devastating cloudburst in Chositi village. Despite persistent rains, multiple agencies, including police, Army, NDRF, SDRF, and local volunteers, are working tirelessly to clear debris and locate missing persons.

According to officials, 46 people, including two CISF personnel, have died, and 69 are reported missing by their families. So far, 167 people have been rescued in injured condition. Many more are feared trapped after the deluge flattened a makeshift market, a community kitchen for pilgrims, and a security outpost.

The disaster struck Chositi—located on the route to the revered Machail Mata temple—around 12:25 pm on Thursday. The village was crowded with devotees for the ongoing Machail Mata yatra, which began on July 25 and was scheduled to conclude on September 5. The yatra remains suspended for the second consecutive day.

Massive destruction has been reported in the affected areas, with 16 houses, several government buildings, three temples, four water mills, and a 30-meter span bridge destroyed. Over a dozen vehicles were washed away in the flash floods that also damaged infrastructure downstream. Videos from the scene show torrents of muddy water and boulders sweeping through steep slopes, reducing houses to rubble and cutting off access roads.

District officials, including Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Sharma and SSP Naresh Singh, are camping at the site to monitor rescue efforts. Heavy machinery has been deployed to move uprooted trees, electricity poles, and boulders blocking the paths. The death toll is expected to rise further as search operations progress.

The tragedy comes just nine days after flash floods devastated Dharali village in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, where one person died and 68 remain missing. The incidents highlight the vulnerability of fragile Himalayan slopes to extreme weather events.