On Wednesday morning, a cloud burst over Honjar village in Kishtwar district, Jammu region, causing at least four deaths and leaving many others missing.
28 people were listed as missing by a police officer in the police control room.
“At around 4am today [Wednesday], a cloud burst over Honjar village in Dacchan area of Kishtwar district. We are getting reports that 28 people are missing. A search and rescue operation has been launched. We do not have the exact details for now. There’s no mobile phone connectivity in the area,” he added.
In Kishtwar district, Dacchan is a remote and hilly area, around 200 km from Jammu.
Kishtwar district police chief, SSP Shafqat Bhat said, “We have recovered four bodies so far from the debris. We believe that 30 to 40 people were in the village when the incident took place.”
The scattered slopes of the hills in Jammu are home to villagers who build their homes and live there.
On one side of the affected area, bridges have been washed away, and the river is in spate, according to the SSP.
“We have sent rescue teams from the nearby police pickets. An army column has also been sent,” he said.
Affected villages are located around 50km from district headquarters, according to Bhat.
