Uttarkashi Flash Flood: Around 150 Rescued, 11 Soldiers Remain Missing Amid Heavy Rain

Around 150 flash flood victims have been rescued on Wednesday from Dharali village of Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi even though 11 soldiers remain missing. There have been four deaths so far, reports confirmed.

A flash flood in 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 and leaving at least four dead.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Indian Army, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams are undertaking rescue operations in the affected area but bad weather is restricting their operations to run smooth.

Why Was Dharali Village Severely Affected?

Nearly half of the picturesque Dharali village was ravaged by flash floods on Tuesday afternoon.

The village is the main stopover on the way to Gangotri, from where the Ganga originates Four deaths have so far been confirmed in the flash flood, which followed a cloudburst. Around 130 people have been evacuated to safety.

And Dharali was not the only hit, the raging waters flowed down two different sides of the same hill, one towards Dharali and the other towards the village of Sukki, said state Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman.

Besides, landslides blocked 163 roads, including five national highways, seven state highways and two border roads across the state, further impeding rescue and preventing personnel from getting to the far-flung area, about 140 km from the state capital Dehradun and usually a five-hour drive.

CM Dhami Surveys From Helicopter

Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami surveyed the flooded area from a helicopter.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to get an update on the situation and assured him of the Centre's assistance.

Dhami held a meeting with officials at the State Emergency Operation Centre here to review the rescue efforts.

Dhami told PTI, "The rescue work is apace. Teams from the army, ITBP, and SDRF have reached the spot. Around 70-80 people have been rescued."

He further added, "A road has been blocked. The DM and an SP rank officer are on their way to the spot. It's a challenging situation as it is still raining there."

Dhami said arrangements have been made for medicines and food and 160 police personnel have been deployed, 10 of them senior and three SP-rank, to oversee the disbursement of ration.

Three nodal officers have been appointed from the CM's office.

"Every life matters to us," the chief minister noted.

Casualties And Rescue Mission

The Indian Army has deployed its MI-17 and Chinook helicopters to look for the stranded.

At least 60 people are said to be missing, but the number is likely higher, as many had gathered for the Har Dudh fair in Dharali village when the tragedy struck.

The missing also include 11 soldiers, Defence spokesperson Lt Col Manish Shrivastava said.

Colonel Harshvardhan, Commanding Officer of 14 Raj Rif, is leading the relief and rescue operations with a 150-soldier team.

Despite its soldiers going missing and its base being hit, the team is working with full courage and determination, Shrivastava said.

Deputy Inspector General (Operations) Mohsen Shahedi told reporters that three teams of the federal contingency force were en route to the Dharali village, but were delayed as the Rishikesh-Uttarkashi highway is blocked due to landslides.

Bad weather has so far prevented two National Disaster Response Force teams from being airlifted from Dehradun, he said.

Shahedi said that as per reports received by the NDRF, the army, ITBP, and the SDRF teams are undertaking rescue operations in the affected area and have rescued about 150 people.

"We have been told that four people have been killed and about 50 are missing. Eleven army troops are missing from the Harsil area," he said.

Three teams of the NDRF are very close to the affected areas, and they will reach as soon as the route clears, the DIG said. Shahedi said around 2 pm on Tuesday, flash floods triggered by a cloudburst hit Uttarkashi villages.

A lake has formed in the higher area, but it is safe as the water is receding, he said.