Eyewitnesses recall chants turning to screams as Kishtwar cloudburst sweeps away pilgrims

The chants of pilgrims on their way to Mata Machail temple were still echoing when the skies roared in Kishtwar’s Paddar valley on August 14. Within minutes, devotion turned to devastation as a ferocious cloudburst unleashed a torrent of water, mud, and boulders that ripped through the pilgrimage route, sweeping away scores of worshippers, vehicles, and homes.

Pradeep Singh, who runs a makeshift dhaba along the yatra route, recalls the moment the disaster struck. “There was a thunderclap, then a storm of dust. Before anyone could understand what was happening, the entire stretch was swallowed by sludge and boulders. Just moments earlier, this place was alive with chanting pilgrims. When I looked back, all I saw was wreckage,” said the 35-year-old from Bhaderwah.

The flash floods struck near Chishoti, about 9 km from the Mata Machail shrine, where hundreds of pilgrims had halted. Some had just disembarked from vehicles, others were gathered around a langar set up by devotees, and a few stood on a wooden bridge over a nullah. All were caught in the fury of the sudden cloudburst.

The aftermath bore grim testimony: twisted vehicles caked in mud, mangled structures, and plates and utensils buried beneath boulders and uprooted trees. A nearby CISF camp was also swept away—two bodies of personnel have been recovered while searches continue for others.

Locals say many pilgrims had parked their cars in the area, choosing to continue the final stretch on local transport. When the cloudburst struck, even those with vehicles had no chance of escape. “The water rose so quickly, there was nowhere to run,” said one resident.

Officials confirmed at least 65 deaths, though the toll is expected to rise. Rescue teams battled through mud and debris late into the night, pulling survivors and bodies from the rubble. Witnesses say the devastation could have been worse had massive boulders not diverted some of the floodwaters away from Chishoti village itself.

The annual Machail yatra, which began on July 25 and is scheduled to run till September 5, has been witnessing a surge in popularity, emerging as the third major pilgrimage in Jammu and Kashmir after Vaishno Devi and Amarnath. Despite an administration advisory capping pilgrim numbers at 8,000 per day, the long weekend of August 15 saw an overwhelming 15,000–20,000 devotees crowding Paddar.

As authorities piece together the scale of the tragedy, the valley still echoes with the haunting silence left behind by what was, just moments earlier, a vibrant sea of faith.