A massive cloudburst struck the remote village of Chositi in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district on Thursday, killing at least 20 people and causing widespread damage, reported PTI. Rescue teams have so far evacuated 98 people, but officials fear the death toll could rise further.

The disaster hit between noon and 1 pm, when a large gathering of devotees had assembled for the Machail Mata Yatra. Chositi, the last motorable village en route to the 9,500-feet-high shrine, lies about 90 km from the town of Kishtwar and marks the start of the 8.5-km trek to the temple.

A community kitchen (‘langar’) set up for the pilgrims bore the brunt of the cloudburst, with flash floods sweeping away several structures including shops and a security outpost, reported PTI. Several houses clustered in the foothills were also damaged.