Uttarkashi cloudburst havoc: At least 4 dead as flash floods swallow homes, hotels in Dharali; entire village washed away – watch video

DEHRADUN: At least four people have died and many are feared missing after a devastating flash flood triggered by a cloudburst in the upper catchment area of the Kheer Ganga river caused large-scale destruction in Dharali village in Uttarkashi district on Tuesday.

Uttarkashi district magistrate Prashant Arya confirmed the deaths of four people in the flash flood that struck Dharali village.

"A massive wave of flash flood hit the area. We are currently assessing the extent of damage to life and property," Arya said.

He added that teams from the Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed to the affected areas to carry out search and rescue operations.

Arya said that the affected area houses several small guest houses, hotels, and restaurants.

“Keeping that in mind, we have dispatched rescue teams accordingly. Teams from the tehsil and Public Works Department (PWD) have already reached the site,” he said.

Meanwhile, Union home minister Amit Shah spoke with chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami regarding the extensive damage caused by the cloudburst in the Dharali region of Uttarkashi.

The home minister has directed the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to rush teams to the location for relief and rescue efforts.

Dramatic visuals captured the sheer fury of the floodwaters as they tore through Dharali village, sweeping away homes, shops and roads leaving behind a trail of debris and mud.

Preliminary information suggests that some hotels and homestays have been completely destroyed in the flood.

Locals fear that 10 to 12 laborers might be trapped under the debris.

In addition, in Banala Patti area of Barkot tehsil, nearly 18 goats were swept away in the overflowing Kud Gadhera stream.

The Meteorological Department has warned of continued heavy rainfall across Uttarakhand until August 10, especially in hilly regions, where intense downpours are expected.

Rescue teams have been rushed from Harsil and Bhatwari, and efforts are on to locate and evacuate those possibly trapped.