Uttarkashi Cloudburst: Recco Radar Teams, Cadaver Dogs Deployed; Over 400 Rescued, Many Still Missing

The tragedy, one of the worst natural disasters in the state’s history, occurred when a cloudburst triggered flash floods in Dharali town, causing massive destruction. The bone-chilling incident was captured on camera by locals and villagers around 1:30 PM on Tuesday, August 5, as a debris flow triggered by the cloudburst wiped out a major portion of Dharali town.

Uttarkashi Cloudburst: Top Developments

• The affected town is a key stopover on the way to Gangotri, the point of origin of the Ganga river. This small hill town is home to many hotels and homestays.
• Tuesday’s cloudburst accumulated 50 to 60-foot-high mounds of debris in Dharali. Many people are still missing and feared trapped in the mudslide.
• Rescuers, using advanced equipment, have already begun dredging through the massive volume of rubble in search of those trapped.
• According to Army officials, at least four people have been confirmed dead in the ecologically fragile area. Among them, the bodies of two were recovered by rescuers on Wednesday. However, it remains unclear whether these two were among those reported dead on Tuesday.
• In addition, nine Army personnel including one Junior Commissioned Officer and eight jawans are also missing.
• Rescue teams have also made efforts to airlift advanced equipment to Dharali to boost relief operations in the hill town.
• Nine other Army personnel and three civilians were airlifted to Dehradun. Of these, three critically injured civilians were shifted to AIIMS Rishikesh, while eight were admitted to the Uttarkashi District Hospital.
• Although efforts are in full swing at the affected site, the Army, in coordination with other authorities, ramped up Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.
• Relief and rescue teams comprising 225 troops including engineers, medical teams, rescue specialists, and trained rescue dogs are on the ground to accelerate the rescue efforts.
• As part of technological efforts to monitor rescue operations, one Reeco Radar team is active in Tekla village, while another is being inducted for further deployment, the Army release stated.
• In coordination with the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), five civil helicopters from Sahastradhara have been deployed in the rescue operations. An ad hoc aviation base is also being set up at the Matli helipad.
• Meanwhile, Chinook and Mi-17 helicopters are on standby at Dehradun’s Jolly Grant Airport, awaiting weather clearance to join the rescue efforts.
• Following the devastating cloudburst and flash flood, the affected region remains disconnected via land routes. Road connectivity through multiple routes including Bartwari, Linchigad near Harsil, Gangnani, and Dharali has been severely impacted.
• Due to the massive impact of the flash flood, a civil helipad in Dharali remains non-functional because of mudslides.
• But two military helipads in Harsil and another in Nelong are operational and connected by road to Gangotri.
• Amidst all this, the Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) reported that nearly 200 tourists stranded in Gangotri are being provided with food, shelter, and medical support.
• The government has prepared an action plan for the next two days, which includes airlifting para troops and medical teams to Harsil via Chinooks, deploying National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel and medics to Nelong via Mi-17 helicopters, reopening roads ahead of Uttarkashi and Tekla, and evacuating tourists from the Nelong helipad on return sorties.
• Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is currently camping in Uttarkashi to monitor rescue operations. He earlier interacted with people, including pilgrims who were stranded near Gangotri and rescued by bus.
• The rescued individuals expressed gratitude to the Army, government, and local residents for their efforts.
• NDRF, SDRF, Army, ITBP, police, and other related agencies are actively involved in the ongoing relief and rescue operations.