In the wake of the cloudburst and flash flood in Dharali, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami cancelled all his programmes and returned directly from Tirupati to Dehradun to take stock of the situation. He reached the State Disaster Operations Center and will take detailed information about the relief and rescue operations in Dharali.
Earlier in the day, Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on the heavy damage caused by a cloudburst in the Dharali (Uttarkashi) region. Both the ITBP and the NDRF teams have been directed to reach at the spot.
CM Dhami says SDRF, NDRF are involved in rescue operation
In the meantime, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami said the news of heavy damage caused by a cloudburst in the Dharali (Uttarkashi) region is extremely sad and distressing. He added that the SDRF, NDRF, district administration, and other related teams are engaged in relief and rescue operations on a war footing. “In this regard, I am in constant contact with senior officials, and the situation is being closely monitored. I pray to God for everyone's safety,” he said.
On the Uttarkashi cloudburst incident, SDRF IG, Arun Mohan Joshi says, "As soon as we got the information, our nearest SDRF team has reached the spot. Two other units are about to reach. Rescue work is being done in a coordinated manner. The nearby NDRF, Army teams are also reaching the spot. Specialised equipment in our SDRF battalion headquarters, which can be used in this disaster, is also being sent... Whether it is the Army, ITBP, or NDRF, all the teams are reaching the spot, and rescue is being done in a coordinated manner."
A massive cloudburst hits high-altitude villages of Dharali
A massive cloudburst has hit the high-altitude villages of Dharali on the way to Gangotri on Tuesday with several houses being damaged or swept away in the raging waters and at least four people killed, officials said.
Dharali is the main stopover on way to Gangotri and home to many hotels, restaurants and home stays. The devastating flashflood came in the wake of a cloudburst somewhere in the catchment area of the Kheer Ganga river, locals said.
Uttarkashi DM says four dead in cloudburst
According to initial reports, at least four people have died, Uttarkashi District Magistrate Prashant Arya told reporters. An Army team from Harsil has been rushed to the spot.
About 10-12 people could be buried under the debris, Rajesh Panwar, a villager, told PTI. He said 20-25 hotels and homestays may have been washed away.
Videos from the area shared on social media showed a torrent of muddy water and silt rushing down the slopes towards settlements along the banks of the river. People could be heard screaming in fear.
In one video, people can be heard in the video gasping for breath and trying to call their relatives in affected areas to find out if they were alright.
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