Flash floods in Uttarkashi; rescue mission continues, cadaver dogs deployed

DEHRADUN: A search continues for those missing in the flash floods that occurred after the cloudbursts in Dharali near Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand. Cadaver dogs are being deployed to find those trapped underground. The dogs are being brought by air from Delhi. It is reported that more forces will be brought to Dharali. It is believed that around a hundred people are trapped in the debris. NDRF, SDRF and ITBP teams are involved in the rescue operation. So far, 130 people have been rescued from the accident site by various forces.

Dharali is a major stop on the route to Gangotri, one of the Char Dham pilgrimage centres. Houses, hotels, restaurants and roads in the town have been washed away. The actual number of these is being collected. There are concerns that people from other states have been affected by the disaster. Within hours of the Dharali disaster, another cloudburst occurred in the nearby Sukhi Top. The water level in the rivers rose steadily. This made rescue operations difficult. Power and communication systems were disrupted.

The disaster occurred at around 01.45 pm yesterday. The disaster was caused by a cloudburst in the catchment area of the Kheer Ganga River. A cloudburst is a phenomenon that causes extremely heavy rain to fall in a small area in a short period of time. It is reported that there were 21 centimeters (eight inches) of extremely heavy rain.