A sudden cloudburst at about 11:30 a.m. on 14 August sent torrents of water and mud through Chashoti village in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, the starting point of the Machail Mata Yatra pilgrimage. State disaster officials said at least 60 people were killed, more than 100 were injured and over 200 remain missing. Floodwaters swept away makeshift kitchens and camps where thousands of devotees had gathered before their trek to the hill-top shrine. Rescue operations by the Indian Army, police, the National and State Disaster Response Forces and other agencies have evacuated roughly 6,000 people. Earthmovers, ropes and search dogs are being used to clear debris and reach those believed to be trapped under boulders. Officials warned that the death toll could rise as crews extend their search along the Chenab River’s muddy banks. The Kishtwar disaster is the Himalayas’ second deadly flood in just over a week and coincides with intense monsoon rains across South Asia. In neighbouring Pakistan, provincial authorities reported about 160 deaths in the past 24 hours as flash floods and landslides battered Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, destroying homes and isolating mountain communities. Meteorologists said the Kashmir flood was triggered by a “cloudburst”, defined as more than 100 millimetres of rain in an hour. Scientists warn that rising temperatures are increasing the frequency of such extreme weather events in the fragile Himalayan region, heightening risks for remote settlements and the millions of pilgrims who traverse the mountains each monsoon season.