JAMMU, Aug. 17 -- Chief minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday visited the cloudburst-hit Chishoti village in Kishtwar to take first-hand stock of the devastation caused by the massive calamity, which has left 61 dead, over 100 injured and several missing.

Upon his arrival, he was briefed by Army personnel and used a virtual reality headset to assess the scale of destruction.

Omar, who reached Kishtwar via the Sinthan Pass on Friday evening, travelled by road to the affected village early Saturday morning.

Expressing sorrow over the loss of lives and widespread damage, he assured the people that the government stands firmly with them in this hour of grief.

As a measure of solidarity and immediate relief, he announced ex gratia assistance ...