Helicopters rescue people stranded by floods on key India pilgrim route
With roads cleared as rain eased, rescue teams arrived in Dharali, where Tuesday's wall of water had submerged in sludge homes and cars in the village on the route to the Hindu pilgrim town of Gangotri.
Helicopters were carrying to safety those who had been stranded, the state's chief minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, said in a post on X.
Dhami said the destruction was 'massive' and that the number of missing persons was still being estimated.
'If the weather supports us then we will bring every single person by tomorrow,' he told Reuters, referring to rescue efforts.
Heavy rains, landslides hamper rescue efforts in northern Indian state, dozens missing
Authorities said about 400 people stuck in Gangotri were being rescued by air, with nine army personnel and seven civilians among the missing.
Relatives of missing people gathered at the helicopter base at Matli village, desperately searching for their loved ones.
Mandeep Panwar said he wanted to reach Dharali, where his brother ran a hotel and is among those missing since Tuesday.
'If you see the videos, ours was the first hotel to be hit by the deluge. I have not heard from my brother and he has been missing since,' Panwar said.
Communication links with rescuers and residents remained disrupted, as mobile telephone and electricity towers swept away by the floods have yet to be replaced, officials said.
Earlier, army rescuers used their hands, as well as machinery, to shift boulders from roads turned into muddy, gushing rivers, visuals showed. More than 225 army personnel were drafted into the rescue, their Northern Command said on X.
'We saw Dharali falling before our eyes,' said Anamika Mehra, a pilgrim headed for Gangotri when the flooding hit.
The hamlet of about 200 people in the state's Uttarkashi district stands more than 1,150 metres (3,775 feet) above sea level on the climb to the temple town.
Uttarakhand is prone to floods and landslides, which some experts blame on climate change.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
1724908998-0%2FUntitled-design-(18)1724908998-0-640x480.webp&w=3840&q=100)
Express Tribune
17 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Tarbela spillways opened as dam filled to capacity
Listen to article With monsoon activity intensifying across Pakistan, the authorities concerned have issued fresh warnings and taken precautionary measures as flood risks loom, particularly in Punjab and parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Despite the active monsoon, water flow in major rivers -- including the Indus at Tarbela, Kalabagh, Chashma, and Taunsa — remains within normal levels, as do tributaries of the Chenab, Jhelum, Ravi, and Sutlej. Tarbela Dam is currently 96% full, Mangla Dam is at 62% capacity, and Indian reservoirs are reportedly at 56% capacity, according to PDMA data. Read More: Hub dam project to be inaugurated by Aug 13 The Indus River System Authority (IRSA) confirmed that spillways at Tarbela Dam were opened at 11:30 pm Wednesday night. The release was prompted by the dam's near-full status and forecasted rains in the catchment areas throughout August. The spillway release may raise water discharge to 240,000 cusecs, potentially increasing downstream river levels. According to PDMA, the 2025 monsoon season has so far resulted in 164 fatalities, 582 injuries, damage to 216 homes, and the loss of 121 livestock animals. Also Read: Chinese expertise to fuel dam development The Flood Forecasting Division has reported a low-level flood at Guddu and Sukkur barrages on the Indus River, though the river remains within its channel boundaries at other major control points. The Meteorological Department has also warned of potential landslides in northern areas, including K-P's districts of Swat, Shangla, Mansehra, Kohistan, and Abbottabad, as well as Murree, Galiyat, G-B, and AJK. Rising water levels in seasonal streams and nullahs could disrupt traffic and pose safety risks, especially in mountainous areas.
Express Tribune
19 hours ago
- Express Tribune
France battles largest wildfire since 1949 as blaze continues despite losing intensity
Listen to article A massive wildfire that has scorched through 16,000 hectares of forest and villages in southern France since Tuesday has lost intensity but is still not under control, officials said on Thursday. France's biggest wildfire in nearly eight decades has killed one person and destroyed dozens of houses. Plumes of smoke rose over the forest area in the Aude region. Three people are missing and two people, including a firefighter, are in critical condition, local authorities said. Drone footage showed swathes of charred earth after the fire swept across an area one-and-a-half times the size of Paris. The blaze, around 100 km (60 miles) from the border with Spain, not far from the Mediterranean Sea, has spread unusually rapidly, fanned by strong winds and very dry vegetation, following months of drought in the area. Read More: Indian helicopters continue rescue operation in flooded Himalayas It is now advancing more slowly, Environment Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher told France Info radio on Thursday morning. "The night was cooler, the fire is progressing more slowly, but it remains the most significant wildfire France has experienced since 1949," Pannier-Runacher said. "This is a wildfire that is a consequence of climate change, of drought in this region," she added. Christophe Magny, one of the officials leading the firefighting operation, told BFM TV that he hoped the blaze could be contained later in the day. But he warned: "As of now, the fire has not been brought under control." Also Read: Pakistan-born newspaper vendor in Paris to receive top French honour Officials said an investigation was under way to determine what caused the blaze. Scientists say the Mediterranean region's hotter, drier summers put it at high risk of wildfires. France's weather office has warned of a new heatwave starting in other parts of southern France on Friday and expected to last several days.
Business Recorder
a day ago
- Business Recorder
Helicopters rescue people stranded by floods on key India pilgrim route
BHATWADI: Indian rescuers used helicopters on Thursday to pluck to safety people stranded by flood waters in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, two days after a sudden inundation and landslide killed four people, with more still missing. With roads cleared as rain eased, rescue teams arrived in Dharali, where Tuesday's wall of water had submerged in sludge homes and cars in the village on the route to the Hindu pilgrim town of Gangotri. Helicopters were carrying to safety those who had been stranded, the state's chief minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, said in a post on X. Dhami said the destruction was 'massive' and that the number of missing persons was still being estimated. 'If the weather supports us then we will bring every single person by tomorrow,' he told Reuters, referring to rescue efforts. Heavy rains, landslides hamper rescue efforts in northern Indian state, dozens missing Authorities said about 400 people stuck in Gangotri were being rescued by air, with nine army personnel and seven civilians among the missing. Relatives of missing people gathered at the helicopter base at Matli village, desperately searching for their loved ones. Mandeep Panwar said he wanted to reach Dharali, where his brother ran a hotel and is among those missing since Tuesday. 'If you see the videos, ours was the first hotel to be hit by the deluge. I have not heard from my brother and he has been missing since,' Panwar said. Communication links with rescuers and residents remained disrupted, as mobile telephone and electricity towers swept away by the floods have yet to be replaced, officials said. Earlier, army rescuers used their hands, as well as machinery, to shift boulders from roads turned into muddy, gushing rivers, visuals showed. More than 225 army personnel were drafted into the rescue, their Northern Command said on X. 'We saw Dharali falling before our eyes,' said Anamika Mehra, a pilgrim headed for Gangotri when the flooding hit. The hamlet of about 200 people in the state's Uttarkashi district stands more than 1,150 metres (3,775 feet) above sea level on the climb to the temple town. Uttarakhand is prone to floods and landslides, which some experts blame on climate change.
