Baramulla, Aug 15: At least 65 bodies have been recovered while several remain missing after a massive cloudburst hit Kishtwar, minister Javed Dar said on Friday.
Speaking to reporters in Baramulla, the minister said the actual number of missing persons is still unclear.
“Rescue teams are working at the site since the last night,” he added.
He said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is expected to visit the affected area this afternoon—(KNO)
Srinagar, Aug 15: Saba Rasool, a fourth-year medical student from Safakadal, Srinagar, who was pursuing her MBBS at Urmia University of Medical Sciences in Iran, passed away following health complications.
Family sources confirmed that Saba had complained of pain two days ago and was admitted to a hospital there.
They said that after battling for her life, she died last night at around 3:00 am.
Meanwhile, the family has also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India, for the urgent repatriation of her body to Kashmir for last rites.
Saba’s family and neighbors in Srinagar have expressed deep grief at her untimely demise. They are urging the authorities to expedite the repatriation process so that she can be laid to rest in her hometown according to local customs.
Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association has written to Union External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, seeking his urgent humanitarian intervention for the swift repatriation of the mortal remains of Sabha Rasool, a 27-year-old MBBS student from Safakadal, Srinagar.
The Association has also urged the Ministry to take up the matter with Iranian authorities to initiate a thorough probe into allegations of gross medical negligence.
In a letter to External Affairs Minister, National Convenor of Association Nasir Khuehami said that Sabha Rasool, a fourth-year MBBS student at Urmia University of Medical Sciences, passed away following a sudden deterioration in her health, leaving her family, friends, and community in deep shock and inconsolable grief. “Her friends and batchmates, who were present during her illness and at the hospital, have alleged that her death may have been the result of gross medical negligence,” the letter to Dr. Jaishankar reads.
According to the account provided by her friends, Saba had been experiencing nausea and vomiting for several days. They claimed it took three hours for a regular ambulance to arrive, and upon reaching the hospital, she was allegedly made to wait for two hours before being allotted a bed in the Emergency Ward (Urjanas). “Despite her critical condition, she was reportedly kept only on normal saline for two days and given painkillers only when she complained of pain. Friends allege that her vitals were not checked for an entire day and there was no regular monitoring,” the letter stated.
The Association said that after repeated requests to transfer her to the GI Ward, she was moved from the Emergency Ward to a corridor outside the GI Ward. Later, she was shifted to the International Patient Department (IPD), where her condition reportedly deteriorated further. “Friends say she developed seizures, her vitals became unstable, and she experienced tachycardia. She was then moved to the ICU. On the final day, she stopped speaking and kept her eyes closed,” it added.
Quoting one of her friends, the Association said; “Till the time she was stable, we were provided with all her reports. However, after her condition worsened, no medical reports have been shared with us.”
Doctors cited the cause of death as fulminant hepatic failure (acute liver failure) along with pulmonary complications. However, her friends and fellow students alleged that until her death, the doctors were unable to diagnose her exact illness.
He said that Family needs immediate assistance in bringing the young students’ mortal remains back for thr last rites at her ancestral area. He urged the External Affairs Minister to take up the matter with the concerned authorities in Iran to ensure an impartial and transparent investigation, and to press for strict action against the hospital if negligence is confirmed. “At the same time, the bereaved family’s immediate and desperate priority is to bring the mortal remains home and perform her last rites in her homeland in accordance with our cultural and religious traditions,” it said.
Calling it “a desperate plea from a devastated family seeking both justice and the opportunity to see their daughter one last time,” the Association’s Iran Unit Coordinator Faizan Aishna said that Dr. Jaishankar’s timely intervention “will not only bring solace to their shattered hearts but also reaffirm India’s commitment to the dignity and protection of its citizens abroad.”
He urged External Affairs Minister to intervene urgently to liaise with Iranian authorities and ensure that all humanitarian and administrative procedures are completed at the earliest, so that Sabha Rasool’s family can receive her mortal remains without unnecessary delay and accord her the dignified farewell she deserves—(KNO)
Srinagar, Aug 15: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said he has briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a devastating cloudburst in a remote village in Kishtwar district that has claimed 60 lives and injured more than 100.
“I just received a call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I briefed him about the situation in Kishtwar and the steps being taken by the administration,” Abdullah wrote in a post on X.
He said his government and the people hit by the tragic cloudburst are grateful for the prime minister’s support and all the assistance provided by the Centre.
Earlier, addressing an Independence-Day function at the Bakshi Stadium here, Abdullah said at least 60 people have lost their lives and more than 100 have been injured in the tragic incident that occurred on Thursday.
He said it needs to be ascertained if there was any lapse on the administration’s part as “we already knew about the weather (forecast)”.
In his first Independence-Day speech after taking over as the chief minister of the Union Territory in October last year, Abdullah started his address by expressing his sympathies for the bereaved families of Kishtwar.
“This is a joyous day for the people of the country, which is observing Independence Day today, but at the same time, the loss of lives in a cloudburst is heartbreaking. According to the information received, some 60 people have lost their lives and many more are missing. We do not know their exact figure,” he said.
Abdullah said he would like to take the opportunity to convey his condolences to those who have lost their near ones in the tragic incident.
“I would also like to pray for those who have been injured that they get well as soon as possible,” he said, assuring the affected people that there will be no shortage of help from the government.
However, the chief minister said in the coming days, “we will have to figure out why this happened. Was there any lapse on the part of the administration, because we already had a weather forecast (talking about the possibility of heavy rains and flash floods).”
“Could we have taken more steps from the government and the administration to save these precious lives? We have to make ourselves accountable on this account,” he said.
New Delhi, Aug 15: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said no generation in the country should forget how democracy was murdered, throttled, and backstabbed during the Emergency.
Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the occasion of the country’s 79th Independence Day, Modi said it has been 50 years since the Emergency was imposed
“The Constitution was violated, we were cheated, we were stabbed in the back… India was turned into a prison, and the Emergency was imposed.
“It has been 50 years of Emergency. No generation in the country should forget this sin of murdering the Constitution. They should not forget the sinners who murdered the Constitution. We should never forget how democracy was murdered, throttled, and backstabbed during the Emergency,” he said.
The prime minister added, “We should go ahead by further strengthening our dedication to the Constitution of India.”
Jammu, Aug 15: Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have identified 21 bodies of the 46 that were retrieved from the cloudburst-hit Chisoti village in Kishtwar district, officials said on Friday.
A massive flash flood triggered by a cloudburst struck the remote mountain village in Kishtwar on Thursday, killing at least 46 people, including two CISF personnel.
To identify the deceased, the authorities shared victims’ pictures through a WhatsApp group with the affected families, resulting in identification of 21 out of the 46 bodies retrieved, they said.
Over 160 people have been rescued so far, and the condition of 38 among them is said to be serious.
The officials have said that the death toll could go up as more people are believed to be trapped.
“We have shared pictures of the bodies with them so that they can be identified,” he said, adding that people are calling to find out the whereabouts of their family members following the cloudburst.
On Thursday, the Jammu and Kashmir administration set up a control room-cum-help desk in Paddar, about 15 km from Chositi village, to assist people and pilgrims following flash floods.
Five officials have been put on duty for the control room. The numbers provided are: 9858223125, 6006701934, 9797504078, 8492886895, 8493801381, and 7006463710.
Since the tragedy struck, the help desk has received scores of distress calls, the official said, adding that the authorities are trying to trace 67 people reported missing by families at the help desk.
A senior official said, “Out of 45 bodies retrieved so far, 21 have been identified by their families. The rest are being identified.”
“We have shared pictures of the bodies with them so that they can be identified,” he said, adding that families have been calling to find out the whereabouts of their loved ones following the cloudburst.
There are two villages ahead of the cloudburst-hit belt — Machail and Hamori — where hundreds of people are stranded, the officials said, adding that their mobile phone batteries have been exhausted due to the snapping of the power supply to the belt following the disaster.
Once they come in contact, authorities will get to know the exact whereabouts of the people, they said.
Fresh search operations will also dig out more victims from the debris and mud in the area, the officials said.
Meanwhile, the villagers said they had seen 10 bodies floating in the Chenab river and efforts to retrieve them are also underway.
The Chisoti village, a base camp for the annual Machail Mata Yatra, was bustling with pilgrims when the disaster struck between 12 noon and 1 pm on Thursday.
The floods, accompanied by mudslides and debris flows, buried homes, shops and vehicles, leaving casualties and many missing persons.
The flash floods also swept away a security camp and several vehicles parked at the bus stand. A temple in the middle of the flooded area miraculously survived.
A langar (community kitchen) set up for devotees bore the brunt of the cloudburst, which caused flash floods and washed away several structures, including shops and a security outpost.
Many vehicles at the bus stand, the starting point for the foot journey to the Himalayan temple of Machail Mata, were severely damaged by floodwaters and mud.
Srinagar, Aug 15: Omar Abdullah on Friday become the first elected chief minister in eight years to unfurl the national flag and preside over the main Independence Day function at Bakshi stadium in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti was the last chief minister to preside over the Independence Day function here in 2017.
The PDP-BJP coalition government fell after the saffron party withdrew support to its local partner in June 2018, leading to imposition of Governor’s rule in the erstwhile state.
There was no elected government till Jammu and Kashmir was reorganized into two union territories in August 2019 following reading down of Article 370 that gave special status to the erstwhile state within the Indian constitution.
While Governor unfurled the National flag on Independence Day and Republic Day functions in 2018 and 2019, the honours were done by the Lieutenant Governor from 2020 to 2024.
Assembly elections were held in Jammu and Kashmir towards end of last year, leading to Abdullah becoming the first chief minister of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Abdullah unfurled the tricolour at the Bakshi stadium and was provided a guard of honour before he inspected the contingents taking part in the parade.
He later took salute as contingents from various wings of Jammu and Kashmir police, Central Armed Paramilitary Forces and school children marched past the podium.
The cabinet colleagues of Abdullah presided over the independence day functions at winter capital Jammu and other important district headquarters of the union territory.
The cultural programme, one of the main attractions of the independence day function, was cancelled by the chief minister this year as a mark of respect to the persons who lost their lives in the Kishtwar flash floods on Thursday.
New Delhi, Aug 15: India is working towards becoming self-reliant in the space sector, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday, adding that the country will have its own space station in the near future.
In his Independence Day address from the Red Fort, PM Modi said the nation is proud of its space sector.
“IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is back from the International Space Station (ISS). Soon he will return to India. We are working on becoming self-reliant in the space sector, preparing for the launch of Gaganyaan, which is India’s flagship human spaceflight programme. We will make our own space station,” the Prime Minister emphasised.
As India’s first astronaut to have visited the International Space Station, Shukla has inspired a billion dreams through his dedication, courage, and pioneering spirit. He became the second Indian astronaut to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 odyssey.
According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the experience gained by Shukla onboard the International Space Station will be extremely valuable for India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission.
The Prime Minister also said that reforms brought in in recent times have enabled over 300 startups which are working in the space sector.
“Thousands of youth are working on India’s space dream. This is the power of our youth. This is the confidence we have in our youth,” PM Modi said.
Last month, ISRO took a step closer to the Gaganyaan Mission with the successful development of a key engine. The two hot tests for the Gaganyaan Service Module Propulsion System (SMPS) have been completed.
The Gaganyaan programme aims to demonstrate India’s capability to launch a crewed spacecraft into low Earth orbit. ISRO aims to launch at least two key projects under the Gaganyaan mission this year — a second test vehicle and an uncrewed mission. The uncrewed orbital test mission will pave the way for India’s human spaceflight programme. This will validate systems for crew safety and recovery.
Meanwhile, Indian space startups have received $430 million in investment till March this year, said Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh, in Parliament, citing the success of opening up the space industry to the private sector.
To promote the participation of private entities in the space sector, the government had, in June 2020, established the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) as an autonomous agency under the Department of Space (DoS) in India.
IN-SPACe has, so far, facilitated the transfer of 93 technologies developed by ISRO.
Jammu, Aug 15: A team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) on Friday reached cloudburst-hit Chisoti village in Jammu and Kashmir”s Kishtwar district, officials said. At least 46 people have been killed in the disaster and 167 rescued.
Of those rescued on Thursday, 38 are in serious condition, officials said. The death toll went up steadily as the day progressed, and there are fears it could rise further.
“The NDRF team is joining the operation currently underway in the village. They reached Gulabgarh late in the night,” Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar Pankaj Sharma told PTI.
Sharma, who is supervising the operation, said choppers could not be operated due to bad weather so the team came by road from Udhampur.
Two more teams are on their way and will be joining the operation as the destruction is wide and vast, officials said.
The Army has also inducted one more column to intensify the search and rescue operation, they said. Rashtriya Rifles troops have joined the operation.
Over five columns of 60 personnel each, totalling 300 troops, along with medical detachments of the White Knight Corps, are on the ground, working tirelessly in coordination with the police, SDRF, and other civilian agencies to save lives and assist those in need, they added.
Volunteer teams of Ababeel, with nine ambulances, reached the village and joined the operation yesterday, said Adil, one of the members.
“We help in retrieving bodies and shifting the injured to hospitals in Atholi and Kishtwar,” he said.
Another group, Hilal Volunteers, also joined in the rescue operation and ferried the injured to hospital.
New York, Aug 15: US President Donald Trump has claimed that the tariffs imposed on India for purchasing oil from Russia have influenced Moscow’s decision to seek a meeting with Washington, as the country was losing its “second largest customer”.
The comments come ahead of Trump’s high-profile meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, scheduled for Friday in Anchorage, Alaska.
In an interview with Fox News on Thursday, Trump said, “I think everything has an impact,” and claimed that when he told India that “we’re going to charge you, because you’re dealing with Russia and oil purchases”, it “essentially took them out of buying oil from Russia”.
“And then they (Russia) called, and they wanted to meet. We’re going to see what the meeting means. But certainly, when you lose your second largest customer, and you’re probably going to lose your first largest customer, I think that probably has a role.
“India was the second largest, and getting pretty close to China. China is the largest (purchaser of Russian oil),” the US president said.
India on Thursday said it has not halted oil purchases from Russia in response to the US President’s tariff threat and continues to buy based solely on economic considerations.
Trump last week announced an additional 25 per cent tariff on US imports from India — raising the overall duty to 50 per cent — as a penalty for the country’s continued imports of Russian oil. The tariffs will come into effect from August 27.
Since the steep tariffs are likely to hit the USD 40 billion of non-exempt exports that India does to the US, there has been chatter around stopping or curtailing oil imports from Russia.
However, AS Sahney, Chairman of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the country’s largest oil firm, has clarified that there is “no pause” on Russian oil imports, and India’s intent to continue buying Russian oil remains unchanged.
“We continue to buy, purely based on economic considerations, that is to say if the pricing and characteristics of the crude make sense in our scheme of processing, we buy,” he told reporters in New Delhi.
Responding to the US tariffs, the Ministry of External Affairs had said that the targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable.
“Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security,” it said.
Trump has said that India’s purchasing of Russian oil is “fuelling” the war machine.
New Delhi, Aug 15: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday delivered a 103-minute Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, the longest by any prime minister in India’s history.
Modi broke his own 98-minute record from the 78th Independence Day last year.
His longest Independence Day speech before 2024 was 96 minutes in 2016 while his shortest speech was in 2017 when he spoke for 56 minutes.
On India’s 79th Independence Day, Modi also broke Indira Gandhi’s record by delivering 12 consecutive speeches from Red Fort to stand next only to Jawaharlal Nehru who delivered 17 Independence Day addresses in a row.
Modi delivered his first Independence Day speech in 2014, which lasted 65 minutes.
His speech in 2015 lasted for 88 minutes. In 2018, Modi address from the ramparts of the Red Fort was 83 minutes. Subsequently, in 2019, he spoke for nearly 92 minutes.
In 2020 Modi’s I-day address lasted 90 minutes.
His Independence Day speech in 2021 lasted 88 minutes and in 2022 he spoke for 74 minutes.
In 2023, Modi’s speech was 90 minutes.
Before Modi, Jawaharlal Nehru in 1947 and IK Gujral in 1997 had the longest speeches at 72 and 71 minutes, respectively.
Nehru and Indira Gandhi also gave the shortest speeches on record at 14 minutes in 1954 and 1966, respectively.
Former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and Atal Bihari Vajpayee also gave some of the shortest Independence Day speeches from the Red Fort.
Singh’s speeches in 2012 and 2013 lasted only 32 and 35 minutes, respectively. Vajpayee’s speeches in 2002 and 2003 were even shorter at 25 and 30 minutes.
