[Today’s Prayer] Flash Flood in Northern India’s Kashmir Mountains… 56 Dead, 80 Missing

In India’s northern Kashmir mountainous region, a sudden flood caused by heavy rainfall has killed 56 people and left 80 missing.

According to AP and AFP on the 15th (local time), a massive flash flood suddenly struck the mountain village of Chosity in the Kishtwar region of Indian-administered Kashmir the day before. The mud-filled torrent swept through residential areas and restaurants, leaving 56 dead. About 300 were rescued, but at least 50 of the injured are reported to be in serious condition.

Disaster management official Mohammed Irshad said that at least 80 people were missing, many believed to have been swept away by the torrent, and added that the number of missing could rise further. Kashmir Governor Omar Abdullah also issued a statement, saying, “A cloudburst struck Kishtwar,” and “The situation is severe.”

A “cloudburst” refers to a highly localized downpour in which an extremely large amount of rain falls in a short time over a narrow area. Some of the injured were rescued from rivers filled with mud and debris and are receiving treatment in hospitals. Rescue authorities suspended operations the previous night due to weather forecasts predicting more heavy rain and flooding.

Chosity is the last village accessible by vehicle on the pilgrimage route to a Hindu temple located at an elevation of 3,000 meters. Because of this, many of the casualties are believed to be pilgrims, according to AP.

Rescue authorities stated that the pilgrimage, which began on the 25th of last month and was scheduled to end on the 5th of next month, has been halted due to the flood, and additional rescue teams are being dispatched to the site.

(Omitted)

The Himalayan region of India frequently experiences cloudbursts, leading to flash floods and landslides that often cause casualties. On the 5th of this month, a similar flood caused by a cloudburst struck the village of Dalali near the Himalayas in Uttarakhand, northern India, where more than 70 people were believed to have died.

(Omitted)

Source: Yonhap News

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:22-23)

We hear the heartbreaking news that in India’s Kashmir region, a massive flood caused by torrential rains has killed 56 people and left 80 missing, with the possibility of more victims still to be found.

God, have mercy on the souls of Kashmir who have lost their homes, their families, and their entire way of life through this flood. As stronger rains and further flooding are expected, causing rescue operations to be suspended, we ask that You stop the rains, and make a way for rescue teams to continue their work and quickly find the missing.

Lord, the village of Chosity where this flood struck is located 3,000 meters high on a pilgrimage route to a Hindu temple, and it is believed that many Hindu pilgrims have tragically perished.

May the Indian church care for all those who have lost family while following vain idols, and through the truth of the gospel, help them to know the love of God.

Even now, among the Indian people who look for salvation before 330 million idols of Hinduism, let the name of Jesus Christ, the only true Savior, be proclaimed.

Holy Spirit, rule over the Indian church, so that in the midst of this land, they may boldly declare that in Christ they are now set free from sin and have received eternal life.

And so, let India become a nation that sends out one million missionaries, turning the nations back to the Lord with their very lives, until the day Jesus returns!