Uttarkashi Disaster: Rescue Efforts Escalate Amid Flash Floods and Landslides

A severe cloudburst in Uttarkashi district, northern India, has triggered large-scale flash floods and landslides, causing significant destruction in Dharali and Sukhi Top areas. Rescue teams from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and Indian Army are conducting extensive operations to evacuate trapped residents and locate missing persons.

Providing an update on the efforts, Kamlesh Kamal, spokesperson for ITBP, remarked that 130 jawans are working in Dharali, with an additional 100 on their way. "This morning, we recovered a body and rescued over 100 people," Kamal stated. Communication improvements are set to hasten operations. Currently, 413 individuals have been safely evacuated, though approximately 100 remain stranded. Efforts to rescue these individuals are underway, despite a bridge on the route to Kinnaur being washed away.

Mohsen Shahedi, DIG of NDRF, highlighted the disaster's severity, reporting four fatalities and over 50 individuals missing. Flash floods impacted Harsil and Sukhi Top, with no casualties yet reported in Sukhi Top. Eleven Army personnel are reportedly missing around Harsil. The Rishikesh-Uttarkashi Highway's condition is hindering progress, but evacuation operations, including potential airlifts from Dehradun, are prepared to proceed. Uttarakhand's Chief Minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, personally assessed and reviewed relief efforts on-site with locals, following a meeting at the State Emergency Operations Centre.

(With inputs from agencies.)