Jammu

The Jammu and Kashmir health and medical education department has reinforced critical infrastructure to ensure optimal patient care as a massive cloudburst struck a remote mountain village in the Kishtwar district, claiming several lives.

A health department official on Friday said a team of specialist doctors from PGI Chandigarh is reaching Government Medical College, Jammu, to assist in medical care and bolster critical care capabilities.

Disaster struck Chositi, the last motorable village on the way to Machail Mata temple, around 12.25 pm on Thursday, leaving 46 people dead, including two CISF personnel.

So far, 167 injured people have been rescued, while 69 were reported missing by their relatives. Even more are believed trapped under debris following the deluge that flattened a makeshift market, a community kitchen site for the Machail Mata pilgrimage, and a security outpost.

Local reports say 60 bodies have either been located or retrieved from the debris left by the flash floods.

Rescue of a man caught up in the debris was recorded and posted on X:

Flash flood in Kishtwar | Relief operations continue in full swing. Over 5 columns of 60 personnel each and medical detachments of White Knight Corps are on ground, working tirelessly in consonance with J&K Police, SDRF and other civilian agencies to save lives & assist those in… pic.twitter.com/Kp0QqrkuTD

— ANI (@ANI) August 14, 2025

At least 16 houses and government buildings, three temples, four water mills, a 30-metre bridge, as well as over a dozen vehicles were also damaged in the flash flood, an official said.

According to the health department official, the critical health infrastructure has been reinforced at a sub-district hospital close to the cloudburst site with an additional deployment of 13 doctors and 31 paramedics.

Senior officers of the department are stationed at Padder, overseeing rescue and medical operations, he said, adding the district hospital at Kishtwar has been prepped up with the additional deployment of general and orthopaedic surgeons, and anaesthetists from the Government Medical College (GMC) in Doda.

Tertiary care institutions have been put in a state of full readiness, the officials said, adding a team comprising specialists has been readied at GMC-Doda to manage patients being referred from the Kishtwar district hospital.

GMC-Jammu is in full operational readiness with 50 dedicated disaster beds, 20 ventilator beds, and five operating theatres, another official said.

He said specialist medical teams, comprising orthopaedicians, neurosurgeons, critical care anaesthetists, and maxillofacial consultants, are on standby. The GMC-Jammu blood bank has kept over 200 units for any exigency.

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To assist in the response to the situation, PGIMER Chandigarh has dispatched a specialised team comprising critical care specialists and neurosurgeons to GMC-Jammu to further enhance critical care patient care capabilities, the official said.