Kishtwar (J&K), Aug. 14 -- At least 12 people lost their lives this afternoon after a massive cloudburst unleashed a flash flood in Chashoti village of Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district.

Immediate rescue operations were started and several pilgrims were evacuated from the affected area.

Chashoti, the starting point of the Machail Mata Yatra and the last motorable village en route to the Himalayan shrine of Mata Chandi, has seen the annual pilgrimage suspended in the wake of the flooding.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed 180 personnel from its Udhampur base, equipped with modern rescue gear, to the disaster-hit region.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh, who represents J&K's Udhampur constituency, said he was inf...