28 tourists from Kerala are missing after a cloudburst in Uttarakhand caused flash floods and buried parts of Dharali village.
The group was last contacted while travelling from Uttarkashi to Gangotri; communication has since been lost.
At least four people have died, and 60–70 are feared trapped under the mudslide and debris.
A group of 28 tourists hailing from Kerala have been reported as missing after the Uttarakhand cloudburst, which has caused massive flash floods and mudslides in the area.
The flash flood in the Kheer Ganga river triggered by a massive cloudburst, buried at least half of the Dharali village under its fast-flowing mudslide of slush, rubble and water on Tuesday, trapping presumably 60-70 people.
According to PTI, of the 28 individuals, 20 are reportedly from Kerala settled in Maharashtra, while the remaining eight are from various districts in Kerala, a relative of one of the couples in the group told the media.
She said the couple's son last spoke to them a day ago.
PTI reported that she claimed, “They said they were leaving from Uttarkashi to Gangotri at around 8.30 am that day. The landslides occurred along that route. We have been unable to contact them since they left.”
The Haridwar-based travel company that organised the 10-day Uttarakhand vacation was likewise unable to provide any information regarding the group's current location, claimed the relative.
“Their phones may have run out of battery by now. There is no mobile network in that region currently,” she said.
Disaster response teams, including personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), have been deployed to the Uttarkashi area in Uttarakhand.
So far, however, no official trace of the missing tourists has been reported as per The Hindustan Times.
Following Tuesday afternoon's cloudburst, Dharali, an ecologically vulnerable area of Uttarakhand, was hit by a calamity that has resulted in at least four verified deaths.
Uttarkashi Cloudburst and Floods
At least four people have died as a result of the cloudburst that occurred Tuesday afternoon in Dharali, an area that is ecologically vulnerable. According to officials, the enormous mudslide of water, slush, and debris has buried over half of Dharali. Every year, a number of people visit Dharali, a well-known destination on the way to Gangotri, the Ganga's birthplace.
Following the catastrophic flood of the Kheer Ganga river that caused the devastation, nine Indian Army men were also reported missing. 150 men are currently involved in vital relief activities under the command of Col. Harshvardhan, the 14 RAJRIF Commanding Officer, and rescue efforts are currently in progress.
In addition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the situation with Pushkar Singh Dhami, the chief minister of Uttarakhand. The state administration is overseeing the relief teams, and every attempt is being taken to help people, PM Modi said in an X post.
