A massive landslide occurred near the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand in the wee hours of Wednesday, hours after a catastrophic cloudburst swept away houses and hotels in the district's Dharali village, leaving at least four people dead and around 9 soldiers missing.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heavy rain alert in multiple districts of Uttarakhand on Wednesday. According to the IMD, heavy rain, including intense to very intense spells, and thunderstorms accompanied by lightning are very likely to occur at many places across Almora, Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital, Pauri Garhwal, Rudra Prayag, Tehri Garhwal, Udham Singh Nagar and Uttar Kashi within the next three hours.
Uttarkashi cloudburst: What actually happened
A cloudburst triggered flash floods in the high-altitude village of Dharali, located on the route to Gangotri, on Tuesday, sweeping away several houses and resulting in the deaths of at least four people, officials confirmed. Dharali, a prominent stopover for pilgrims and tourists heading to Gangotri, is home to numerous hotels, restaurants and homestays.
The flash flood was reportedly caused by a cloudburst in the catchment area of the Kheer Ganga river, according to local accounts. Uttarkashi District Magistrate Prashant Arya stated that, based on initial reports, at least four people have died. An Army team from Harsil has been deployed to assist with rescue operations.
Villager Rajesh Panwar told PTI that 10 to 12 people might be trapped under the debris and estimated that around 20 to 25 hotels and homestays could have been swept away by the floodwaters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to those affected and assured that all necessary assistance is being provided, with every effort underway to support relief and rescue operations.
Rescue ops: Search on for missing soldiers
The NDRF has decided to deploy its first-ever team of cadaver dogs to assist in locating those feared dead in the recent cloudburst incident in Uttarakhand, official sources said on Tuesday. A pair of these specially trained dogs will be airlifted from Delhi to support the ongoing rescue efforts.
In addition, three NDRF teams, each comprising 35 rescuers, have been mobilised from different locations across the state and dispatched to the affected area. A 16-member team from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has also reached Dharali from its 12th battalion stationed at Matli in Uttarakhand. Another team of the same strength has been instructed to proceed to the site of the cloudburst, officials confirmed.
With inputs from Abhay Parashar
