Omar Abdullah briefs Amit Shah on Kishtwar cloudburst, says news 'grim and accurate'

Jammu, Aug 14: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday briefed Union Home Minister Amit Shah about the situation following a massive cloudburst in a remote village in Kishtwar district. He said the news is "grim and accurate and verified information is slow in arriving".

The cloudburst that struck the remote village of Chasoti killed at least 12 people and led to widespread damage, officials said.

"I just spoke to the Union Home Minister @AmitShah Sb to brief him about the developing situation in Kishtwar region of Jammu.

"The news is grim & accurate, verified information from the area hit by the cloud burst is slow in arriving. All possible resources are being mobilised from within and beyond J&K to manage the rescue operations," the chief minister said in a post on X.

The chief minister also said he wouldn't be speaking to channels or news agencies. "The government will share information as & when possible," Abdullah said.

The disaster hit Chasoti, the last motorable village on the way to the Machail Mata temple, between 12 noon and 1 pm when a large number of people had gathered for the Machail Mata yatra. From there begins the 8.5 km trek to the shrine.