The Indian Army and the Disaster Response teams are rescuing pilgrims trapped at the Machel Mata Temple after a cloudburst in Kishtwar district on Sunday, killing at least 55 people.
Views from the site empties the trapped pilgrims to the army personnel and recover the bodies from the affected area.
Cleanliness workers in the temple expressed their desire to assist in relief work. A worker told Annie, “On July 22, I went to Machal, and I am a cleaning worker. Today I came back. Everything has stopped. People who had their vehicles and hotels, are returning here. We want to lend a hand (for relief work). When we heard that many people were dead and were missing after cloudburst, we saw images on social media.”
Another worker estimated that around 100 people may still be trapped in the temple. He said, “I am a resident of the installment and work as a cleaning worker. Many people have been killed, and we are still scared. If the accident had not happened, many people would have been in the temple. There would be about 100 people (in Machal).”
Expressing grief, he said, “I clean the temple. It should not have happened. There is nothing left to see, we are shedding tears.”
Meanwhile, Punjab resident Mandeep Saini made an emotional appeal to the government to find his wife and mother -in -law, who went missing on August 14 at Claudbst in Chasoti village. On August 9, Saini visited the installment to leave his wife at his parents’ house for the protective. She went to visit the Machel Mata Temple on 12 August, when Saini returned to Punjab.
He told Annie, “The remaining six people are coming back with him. It has been four days, and we still have no clue that two of them are not working. My brain is not working. I last talked to him at Udhampur station … We are all really worried. We have only one request for the government: Please do not have any other request to find them.”
General Officer Commanding Counter Rebel Force – Delta, Major General APS BAL, said that security forces are working to save more and more people. Highlighting the rapid response of the Indian Army, he said that the military reached the site within 45 minutes of the disaster. (AI)
