Uttarakhand cloudbursts wreak havoc: 4 killed, 10 soldiers missing

Disaster swept through the Himalayan village of Dharali on the way to Gangotri on Tuesday (August 5) with a massive cloudburst leading to flashfloods that barrelled through homes, trees and cars, trapping 60-70 people and leaving at least four dead. According to the latest reports, at least 10 soldiers are also missing.

Dharali is the main stopover on way to Gangotri, the origin of the Ganges, and home to many hotels, restaurants and home stays.

At least half the village was buried under the fast-flowing mudslide of slush, rubble, and water, officials said as rescue personnel battled the elements in the ecologically fragile heights to contain the damage of the afternoon.

Buildings come down like a pack of cards

Contiguous buildings, including three and four-storey houses, fell like a pack of cards as the surging waters washed over them. The devastating flash floods came in the wake of a cloudburst somewhere in the catchment area of the Kheer Ganga river.

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. The rain continued through the afternoon and till evening, hampering rescue efforts.

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.

An Army team from the nearest location of Harsil was immediately rushed to the spot to launch rescue operations but teams from other places found it difficult to reach due to bad weather and disrupted roads, Suman said.

According to initial reports, at least four people have died, Uttarkashi District Magistrate Prashant Arya told reporters in Dehradun before rushing to the spot.

There was no official confirmation on the number of people who went missing after the flashflood but it is likely to be high as the sudden rush of floodwaters gave people no time to run towards safety. As darkness fell, announcements were made asking people to move to safer ground.