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Kishtwar, August 14, 2025: A devastating flood triggered by a cloudburst of intense rain struck a Himalayan mountain village in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Kishtwar district on Thursday, claiming at least 34 lives, according to Pankaj Kumar Sharma, the district commissioner. The disaster, the second major deadly flooding event in India this month, also left 35 people injured.
Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah described the situation as "grim," noting the severe impact of the torrential rains. Rescue operations are underway, but damaged roads and the village’s remote location—over 200 kilometers from Srinagar—pose significant challenges. Local resident Sushil Kumar from nearby Atholi village reported seeing at least 15 bodies brought to a hospital in Kishtwar, where crowds gathered as the injured were carried in on stretchers.
This follows another catastrophic flood on August 5 in Uttarakhand’s Dharali town, where over 70 people are feared dead. Experts attribute the increasing frequency and severity of such floods and landslides during the June-to-September monsoon season to climate change and poorly planned development. The UN’s World Meteorological Organization has warned that intensifying floods and droughts signal an increasingly unpredictable global water cycle.
