FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. 15 No. 61 | BHOPAL | FRIDAY | AUGUST 15, 2025 | PAGES 20+4 | ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 www.freepressjournal.in EDITIONS: BHOPAL UJJAIN PUNE INDORE NASHIK KISHTWAR TRAGEDY | 120 people rescued so far, 38 serious My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the cloudburst and flooding in Kishtwar Narendra Modi, PM Holiday Notice FREE PRESS office and printing press will remain closed on Friday, i.e, August 15, 2025 due to Independence Day. There will be no issue on Saturday, i.e, August 16. Readers can keep abreast with happenings across the globe on www.freepressjournal.in and on Free Press App. e-paper too will be available. Cloudburst in J&K kills 46 PTI JAMMU A massive cloudburst struck a remote mountain village in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district on Thursday, killing at least 46 people including two CISF personnel, officials said. The death toll could go up as more people are believed to be trapped, officials said, adding that 120 people have been rescued so far. Of these, the condition of 38 is said to be serious. The disaster struck Chositi, the last motorable village en route to Machail Mata temple, between 12 noon and 1 pm. A large number of people had gathered there for the annual Machail Mata yatra, which commenced on July 25 and was scheduled to end on September 5. The 8.5 kilometre trek to the 9,500-feet-high shrine begins from Chositi. Chositi is about 90 kilometres from Kishtwar town. A 'langar' (community kitchen) set up for the devotees here bore the brunt of the cloudburst, which led to flash floods and washed away several structures including shops and a security outpost. The disaster comes nine days after flash floods wreaked havoc in Dharali village of Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district. Though only one person is confirmed dead, 68 people are still reported missing. 4Continued on | P10 MUMBAI E-paper Senior military officers awarded for Op Sindoor Trump-Putin talk today PTI India on Thursday recognised the acts of gallantry by the armed forces personnel and the role of senior military brass involved in the planning and execution of Operation Sindoor in its annual list of military honours on the eve of 79th Independence Day. Indian Air Force pilots involved in the strikes on terror infrastructure and military installations in Pakistan as well as those manning the S-400 Donald Trump's summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday could be a decisive moment for both the war in Ukraine and the US leader's anomalous relationship with his Russian counterpart. Trump has long boasted that he's gotten along well with Putin and spoken admiringly of him, even praising him as "pretty smart" for invading Ukraine. But in recent months, he's expressed frustrations with Putin and threatened more sanctions on his country. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned that the secondary tariffs on India could go up if "things don't go well" during talks between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. Last week, Trump imposed tariffs totalling 50 per cent on India, including 25 per cent for Delhi's purchases of Russian oil that will come into effect from August 27. 4Continued on | P10 4Continued on | P10 4Continued on | P10 NEW DELHI AP WASHINGTON US warns of more tariffs if ‘things don’t go well’