J&K CM briefs PM Modi on Kishtwar cloudburst, says calamity claimed 60 lives

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Friday, 15 August, said he had informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the devastating cloudburst in a remote Kishtwar village, which has left 60 people dead and over 100 injured.

In a post on X, Abdullah said, “I just received a call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I briefed him about the situation in Kishtwar and the steps being taken by the administration.”

He expressed gratitude for the prime minister’s support and the assistance provided by the Centre.

Speaking earlier at the Independence Day function at Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar — his first such address since becoming chief minister of the Union Territory in October 2024 — Abdullah began by expressing condolences to the bereaved families and prayers for the injured.

Calling the loss of life “heartbreaking” on what is otherwise a day of national celebration, he confirmed that many more people remain missing and said the exact figures are still uncertain.

Abdullah assured there would be “no shortage of help from the government” but stressed that an inquiry was necessary to determine if administrative lapses had contributed to the tragedy, given that there had already been a weather forecast warning of heavy rains and flash floods.

“Could we have taken more steps from the government and the administration to save these precious lives? We have to make ourselves accountable on this account,” he said.

However, It is good to see the prime minister, the leader of our great nation and of the central government (under whose express care the union territory 'thrives' since the abrogation of Article 370 and revocation of its statehood) make time to publicly check on the tragedy after almost a whole day has passed and various other political parties have already extended support and aid on the ground, expressing solidarity and sorrow. A timely intervention, for sure.

With PTI inputs