UPDATE 2 - 40 dead, over 200 missing as cloudburst hits Jammu and Kashmir

UPDATES DEATH TOLL, OFFICIAL REMARKS; CHANGES HEADLINE, LEDE

By Nusrat Sidiq and Berk Kutay Gokmen

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir/ISTANBUL (AA) - The death toll from the massive cloudburst in the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir climbed to 40, with over 200 people remaining missing on Thursday, according to local broadcaster India Today.

The cloudburst struck the Chositi village near Machail Mata Shrine in the Padder Tashoti area of the Kishtwar district, on a Hindu pilgrimage route, triggering flash floods that swept a langar -- a community kitchen.

Sunil Kumar Sharma, a ruling lawmaker who is overseeing the rescue efforts, said that at least 38 bodies have been recovered so far.

“The death toll is likely to rise as rescue efforts are still ongoing and disaster teams are trying to save lives,” he told Anadolu over the phone.

He further said that over 200 people are still missing.

More than 120 people have also been injured, many of whom were Hindu pilgrims.

Top district official Pankaj Kumar Sharma told Anadolu that the casualties could rise as authorities were assessing the situation on the ground.

It is believed that at least 26 people were in the community kitchen before it was swept away.

India's Minister of Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh said he feared the incident "could result in substantial casualties."

“The news (of cloudburst) is grim and accurate, verified information from the area hit by the cloud burst is slow in arriving,” Jammu and Kashmir's top elected official Omar Abdullah said on US social media company X.

“All possible resources are being mobilized from within and beyond Jammu and Kashmir to manage the rescue operations,” Omar added, noting that the government will share information when available.