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

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said he has briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a devastating cloudburst in a remote village in Kishtwar district that has claimed 60 lives and injured more than 100. "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," Abdullah wrote in a post on X. He said his government and the people hit by the tragic cloudburst are grateful for the prime minister's support and all the assistance provided by the Centre.

Earlier, addressing an Independence-Day function at the Bakshi Stadium here, Abdullah said at least 60 people have lost their lives and more than 100 have been injured in the tragic incident that occurred on Thursday. He said it needs to be ascertained if there was any lapse on the administration's part as "we already knew about the weather (forecast)". In his first Independence-Day speech after taking over as the chief minister of the Union Territory in October last year, Abdullah started his address by expressing his sympathies for the bereaved families of Kishtwar. "This is a joyous day for the people of the country, which is observing Independence Day today, but at the same time, the loss of lives in a cloudburst is heartbreaking. According to the information received, some 60 people have lost their lives and many more are missing. We do not know their exact figure," he said. Abdullah said he would like to take the opportunity to convey his condolences to those who have lost their near ones in the tragic incident.

"I would also like to pray for those who have been injured that they get well as soon as possible," he said, assuring the affected people that there will be no shortage of help from the government. However, the chief minister said in the coming days, "we will have to figure out why this happened. Was there any lapse on the part of the administration, because we already had a weather forecast (talking about the possibility 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.