Chisoti, Kishtwar: Rescue workers are racing against time to locate several dozen persons, mostly pilgrims, who are missing since the flash flood, triggered by a suspected cloudburst, ravaged Chisoti village in the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir.Chisoti, also spelled Chaisoti, is a small village at the mouth of a narrow valley that falls on the way to the temple of Mata Machail, to which one of the most sacred Hindu pilgrimages in Jammu and Kashmir is performed by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims every year.The Wire visited the village located deep in the Himalayas on Saturday (August 16), some 300 kilometres from the capital Srinagar, to document the climate catastrophe that has left at least 60 persons dead and which hundreds escaped with minor and major injuries.Rescue workers carry a dead body on a stretcher past a makeshift wooden bridge over the Bhot tributary of the Chenab river, which was struck by flash floods on August 14, leaving at least 60 persons dead while dozens are missing. Roma Devi’s granddaughter Arundhati, 9, is among 60 persons who have been confirmed dead by the government. Arundhati’s body was recovered from the debris more than 24 hours after the tragedy struck. Behind Devi are three friends of Arundhati’s, who looked distraught and traumatised by her tragic absence. Many anguished family members have been searching for their loved ones who went missing since the tragedy struck Chisoti village. Some of them can be seen watching the rescue operation from under the shade of a tree along with security personnel. A man is seen taking a photograph of a dead body that was recovered from the debris on Saturday, while rescue workers and medical professionals look on. Many missing persons, most of them pilgrims, were recovered from the debris. Sawan Singh (right)’s mother Kamlesha Devi sent him to take his meal moments before a huge column of rainwater, sludge, uprooted trees and boulders came crashing down into the village, leaving a trail of death and destruction. Devi and her daughter Sangeeta Devi were killed in the tragedy. Local residents of Chisoti outside a food stall that catered to the pilgrims of the Machail Mata pilgrimage. Most residents of Chisoti earn their annual livelihood by setting up food and other stalls that cater to pilgrims for the nearly three months during which the pilgrimage takes place. A security official walks past a damaged car covered in mud that was rendered defunct by the Kishtwar flash floods, one of the worst climate disasters to have hit Jammu and Kashmir in recent years. Meena Devi and her brother believe that the curse of Mata Machail, also known as Chandi Mata, brought the curse of flash floods to Chisoti due to the ill deeds of its inhabitants. Their father, Bodh Raj, who was serving as the head priest of the Kali Mata temple for 35 years, was washed away along with the temple and the deity. His body has not been found yet. For the last two years, Sumit Solanki, father of three girls, has come from Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain to Chisoti to make a living during the Mata Machail Yatra. He sold miniature temples, sculptures of Hindu deities, toy drums and other items to pilgrims. His stall was washed away along with his personal belongings by the flash flood, which didn’t leave even a pair of shoes on him. Three days after the flood and with no help forthcoming so far, Solanki and his family depend on the goodwill of Chisoti’s residents and a community kitchen for survival. Dharam Singh, 22, an arts undergraduate and a resident of Chisoti, shows the remains of his three-storied house that was destroyed in the flash floods. His aunt, Tulsi Devi, is among the missing persons. A sandal lying abandoned adjacent to an excavator machine in Chisoti village tells the story of horror that unfolded in the village. A man shows a miniature sculpture of Hindu deities that was recovered from the rubble. Many in the Chisoti village of Kishtwar, which has one of the lowest literacy rates J&K’s districts, believe that it was God’s wrath that led to the destruction. When the tragedy struck on August 14, Pawan Kumar, who ran a food stall, was serving pilgrims. A festive atmosphere prevailed when he felt the earth shake. Somnath, his father, who was operating a water mill near the river, was washed away along with mud and boulders, and killed by the flash flood. Jawaharlal (right), a village defence guard and his colleague, stand along the road to Chisoti in the Padder sub-division of Kishtwar district. Since 2021, the hilly district in Jammu division, which falls on the border with Kashmir’s Anantnag, has turned into a militancy hotspot.All photos by Jehangir Ali.Note: This piece has been updated to note that Bodh Raj’s body has not been found yet. An earlier version had said he was found on August 15.