PM very concerned: Rajnath Singh meets people injured in Kishtwar cloudburst

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday visited the Government Medical College Hospital in Jammu and met people injured in the recent cloudburst incident in Kishtwar.

Rajnath Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is very concerned about the cloudburst tragedy. “The prime minister is very concerned and is monitoring the situation. I had planned to visit the spot but couldn't due to inclement weather and a landslide (at Pathernaki) We are now going to the Raj Bhavan where we will talk to the (affected) people through videoconferencing,” he said to news agency PTI.

“I came here to meet the injured. I wanted to visit Chishoti village in Kishtwar. Unfortunately, there was a landslide on the road. Even if I had been able to land in Gulabgarh, I wouldn't have been able to proceed to the village as there have been landslides on the road. I will now be visiting Raj Bhavan where we will hold a meeting with the officials. Local officials in Kishtwar will join via video conference. I met the injured in the hospital. They are satisfied with the treatment,” Singh added.

The defence minister was accompanied by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Union Minister Jitendra Singh. After landing at Jammu airport, where LG Sinha received him, Rajnath Singh went straight to the hospital and met the 16 people undergoing treatment. A team of doctors briefed him on their condition.

Praising the medical staff, Singh said, “They are satisfied with the treatment,” adding that the injured are recuperating satisfactorily.

The cloudburst struck Chishoti village in Kishtwar on August 14, killing 65 people and injuring over 100. Thirty-two others remain missing.

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With inputs from PTI.