Uttarakhand: 4 killed, dozens feared missing as Uttarkashi cloudburst washes away 20-30 hotels, bridge — latest updates

A cloudburst triggered a deluge in the Dharali village in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district on Tuesday at around 1:50 pm.

The authorities have said that at least four persons have been killed in Dharali, around 40-50 properties have been washed away in the village, and a bridge in the area has been washed away as well.

A cloudburst in the higher reaches triggered a deluge in the Kheer Ganga river that flows through Dharali. A massive wave of water, mud, and debris struck the village and washed away a large chunk of the village’s main market where several hotels, restaurants, and homestays are located.

The deluge was captured on the camera and shows the wave hitting the town and washing away several buildings and people — see videos below.

The Indian Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel, among others, have been deployed to Dharali for rescue and relief works. The Uttarakhand government is also in consultations with the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) about establishing land connectivity in the area as the deluge has washed away a major bridge in the area.

Dharali is the main stopover on the way to Gangotri, the origin of the Ganga river, and is popular among pilgrims and tourists.

Hours after the Dharali incident, ANI news agency reported at 4:48 pm that the Uttarkashi administration had said that another cloudburst had occurred in Sukhi Top near Dharali.

Schools declare holiday in 3 districts amid monsoon devastation

The Uttarakhand government, in view of the rain warning in the state, and the prevailing disaster situation in the Uttarkashi district has declared holiday from class 1 to 12 and all anganwadi centres in the Champawat, Pauri, and Udham Singh Nagar districts.

The state’s Department of Information and Public Relations, posted on X, as translated from Hindi, “In view of the weather department’s rain warning in Uttarakhand, a holiday has been declared for all schools from class 1 to 12 and Anganwadi centers in the state’s Champawat, Pauri, and Udham Singh Nagar districts.”

NDRF deploys cadaver dogs for Uttarkashi ops

The NDRF has decided to deploy its first-ever team of cadaver dogs to help locate those feared dead in the cloudburst incident in Uttarakhand, official sources said on Tuesday.

A pair of these dogs will be airlifted from Delhi even as three teams of the force, comprising 35 rescuers in each, have been rushed to the incident site from various locations in the state.

Two more National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams are awaiting airlift from the Dehradun airport, they said.

A senior officer of the federal contingency force told PTI that cadaver dogs are being deployed in Uttarkashi to find bodies possibly buried beneath debris and slush, to ensure that the families of the victims can get closure.

In addition to cadaver dogs, regular dogs who can sniff and detect survivors buried under mud and slush are also being deployed, he said.

The NDRF has trained about half a dozen cadaver dogs, primarily from the Belgian Malinois and Labrador breeds. For their training, the force procured a special scent from abroad that smells akin to the odour emitted by a dead body.

“For all these years, the NDRF focused on its mandate of saving lives. Utilising the golden hour of finding life during a disaster has been the guiding principle of the rescuers, and hence, finding the dead or mortal remains was not a priority,” a senior officer had recently told PTI.

Never seen such horrific scene in life, says 60-year-old eyewitness

“Everything is over” – a victim is heard saying in one of several disturbing videos which surfaced online after a cloudburst led to flash floods on Tuesday in Himalayan village of Dharali in this district leaving behind a trail of destruction.

In a horrific video of the incident, some people were seen running and screaming to save their lives from the floodwaters coming close on their heels and finally swallowing them.

Sixty-year-old Subhash Chandra Semwal, a resident of Mukhba village and an eyewitness, said that he had never seen such a horrific scene in his life.

He said that in the afternoon, he heard the sound of water and stones flowing at a high speed, following which he and other members of his family came out.

“When we saw a huge amount of water flowing down in Kheer Ganga, we all panicked. Then we blew whistles to alert the people living in Dharali market and shouted at them to run away from there,” he said.

With teary eyes, Semwal said that after hearing their voices, many people ran out of the hotel but the rushing flood waters overtook them and they were swept away.

In another video of the incident, panic-stricken people are heard gasping for breath and trying desperately to call their relatives in affected areas to find out if they are alright. A voice is also heard in the video, “Everything is over”.

In Dharali, the flash floods trapped 60-70 people and left at least four dead. Dharali is the main stopover on way to Gangotri, the origin of the Ganges, and home to many hotels, restaurants and home stays.

40-50 buildings, 20-25 hotels washed away

Officials and residents have said that the deluge washed away 40-50 buildings, including around 20-25 hotels, in Dharali.

Prima facie, it appears that 40-50 buildings have been washed away in the deluge, Uttarakhand Principal Secretary RK Sudhanshu told PTI.

Separately, Rajesh Panwar, a villager, told PTI that around 20-25 hotels and homestays have been washed away.

A video captured from higher grounds shows the deluge tearing through several buildings that break apart on impact. Several people, perhaps dozens, are seen running in the video who are also seen getting washed away in the video.

Separately, India Today has reported that more than 50 people are feared missing.

“Everything from hotels to markets has been destroyed… I haven’t witnessed a disaster like this before,” an eyewitness told the news channel.

Army, ITBP, SDRF on site for rescue works

The Central Command of the Indian Army said that personnel from the army base at Harshil around 4 kilometres from Dharali were dispatched for rescue.

In a press release, the Army said the firs contingent of around 150 personnel arrived within 10 minutes and began rescue operations, evacuating up to 20 persons to safer locations by 3:30 pm.

Separately, officials told PTI that a 16-member ITBP team has reached Dharali and another unit was on the way. Similarly, SDRF personnel were also at the site.

Principal Secretary Sudhanshu said that restoring connectivity was the priority at the moment.

“Since road connectivity has been impacted, a bridge has been washed away, we are talking to the officials of BRO, PWD, our priority is to restore connectivity, the weather is bad at present, we are not able to provide relief, and rescue through helicopter services. But SDRF, Army are there,” Sudhanshu told PTI.

A fair saved most residents: Official

Even though visuals suggest that most of the Dharali’s market has been washed away in the deluge, an official told AFP news agency that the toll would be lower because “luckily, most of the people were at a fair in a safe location”.

Visuals shared by the Army and the state police show the town submerged in mud and debris.

In a statement, the Uttarakhand government announced that it had set up helpline numbers operating from two centres in Haridwar and Dehradun. These numbers may be contacted for information regarding the deceased and injured.

In Haridwar, the helpline numbers for the district emergency centre are 01374-222722, 7310913129, and 7500737269.

In Dehradun, the helpline numbers for the state emergency centre are 0135-2710334, 2710335, 8218867005, and 9058441404.

The emergency numbers 1070 and 112 are also active.