Village swept away, several missing after massive cloudburst in Uttarkashi
Several people are feared dead, and at least 50 are missing after a cloudburst triggered flash floods in Uttarkashi’s Dharali, reports said.
A significant cloudburst that hit the Dharali area near Harsil in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district on Tuesday washed away villages and is thought to have killed a number of people. Significant damage was caused by the Kheer Gadh river's rising water levels, which prompted rescue and relief efforts to be launched by the army, police, SDRF, and other disaster response teams.
Emergency teams continue to search for survivors amid the destruction.
Home Minister Amit Shah spoke with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami about the situation. Both the ITBP and NDRF have been deployed to assist in rescue efforts.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had forecast extremely heavy rainfall in isolated parts of Uttarakhand on Tuesday.
Villager Rajesh Panwar told news agency PTI that around 10-12 people could be trapped under debris, and 20-25 hotels and homestays may have been destroyed by the floods.
Monsoon rains have caused havoc across Uttarakhand, with swollen rivers and strong currents. Just days earlier, one person was swept away near Haldwani, and two others drowned near Bhujiyaghat. Landslides in Rudraprayag buried shops under debris and boulders.
In response to the ongoing heavy rains, Chief Minister Dhami ordered all District Magistrates to stay on the ground with their teams, ready to act quickly.