
Toll of India Himalayan flood likely to be at least 70
On top of four people reported to have been killed, it takes the likely overall toll of the August 5 disaster to more than 70 dead.
Videos broadcast by survivors showed a terrifying surge of muddy water sweeping away multi-storey apartment blocks.
Disaster officials said Tuesday that they were searching for corpses in the wreckage of the tourist town of Dharali in Uttarakhand state.
Gambhir Singh Chauhan, from the National Disaster Response Force, said sniffer dogs had identified several sites indicating there was a body but when "when digging started, water came out from below".
Chauhan said teams were also using ground penetrating radar in the grim search.
More than 100 people were initially reported as missing.
But with roads swept away and mobile phone communications damaged, it has taken rescuers days to cross-check the list.
The local government now lists 68 people as missing, including 44 Indians and 22 Nepalis. Nine soldiers are on the list.
Deadly floods and landslides are common during the monsoon season from June to September, but experts say climate change, coupled with poorly planned development, is increasing their frequency and severity.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Hindu
5 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Nearly 25 lakh people affected due to flood in 10 districts of Bihar
Nearly 25 lakh people in low-lying areas of Bihar have been affected by floods in 10 districts along the Ganga river. Incessant rainfall in the catchment areas of Nepal has pushed water levels above danger level at several places. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held a high-level review meeting on Wednesday (August 13, 2025) to assess the relief and rescue operations in the flood-affected areas and issued necessary instructions to the concerned officials. During the video conference from Patna, Mr. Kumar inquired about the updated status of the water level of the rivers of the State. Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary of the Disaster Management Department, Pratyaya Amrit, provided detailed information to the Chief Minister. Due to heavy rainfall, the districts of Bhojpur, Patna, Saran, Vaishali, Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Munger, Khagaria, Bhagalpur, and Katihar have been particularly affected. Mr. Amrit informed that nearly 25 lakh people across 348 panchayats in 54 blocks have been impacted by the floods. Seven teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and nine teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed for relief and rescue operations. Sixty motorboats and 1,233 country-made boats are continuously engaged in relief work. Polythene sheets and dry ration packets are being distributed among the affected people. Mr. Amrit asserted that all arrangements have been made in the flood relief camps as per the Standard Operating Procedure. More than 13 lakh people are being provided with food at community kitchen centre. Mr. Amrit added that the Disaster Management Department is keeping an eye on the situation by reviewing the relief and rescue operations on a daily basis. The District Magistrates of the affected districts, along with the secretaries and principal secretaries of the concerned departments, were present at the meeting. Mr. Kumar instructed officials to remain alert, keeping in mind the rising water level in the areas along the riverbank, and to help the affected people as soon as possible and with full sensitivity. He also directed that the gratuitous relief (GR) amount be distributed to flood-affected people and ensure payment to farmers for crop damage caused by the flood. Accompanied by Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and Disaster Management Minister Vijay Kumar Mandal, Mr. Kumar asked the Road Construction Department and the Rural Works Department to ensure the restoration of roads damaged by the floods so that people do not face any problem in commuting.


Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Central, Uttarakhand agencies carry out rescue operations in Dharali amid bad weather
Uttarkashi, Battling weather-related hindrances, rescuers carried out their operations on a war footing on Wednesday in disaster-hit Dharali. Central, Uttarakhand agencies carry out rescue operations in Dharali amid bad weather On August 5, many hotels, houses and homestays in Dharali were razed due to sudden floods in the Khir Ganga river. The administration has confirmed one death and 68 others missing in the disaster. So far, more than 1,300 people have been evacuated, according to officials. Made of wood and iron pipes for the movement of search and rescue teams, a small link bridge, which was washed away due to the rising levels of the Kheer Ganga stream in Dharali on Tuesday, has been rebuilt, Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority said. The search, relief and rescue operation is being carried out continuously by the Army, National Disaster Response Force , State Disaster Response Force , Indo-Tibetan Border Police , Border Roads Organisation and many other central and state agencies in Dharali despite weather-related hindrances, it said. Efforts are being made to find the missing people by digging wherever the teams of sniffer dogs are giving signals in the disaster-affected areas, it said. Officials said the missing people will also be searched by locating their mobile phones. Since the disaster occurred on August 5, people from Nepal, Bihar and other places are reaching Dharali looking for their relatives. The location of the mobile phones of the missing people will be checked to find them, State Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman said. Mobile towers have the location information of the phone numbers and to find them, their location on August 5 will be checked, he said. The administration is currently registering the information of all those people who are claiming that their loved ones are missing, Suman said. The USDMA said efforts are being made by the Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited and the Irrigation Department to open the lake formed due to the stoppage of water flow of the Bhagirathi river near Harshil helipad after the disaster. The wooden logs stuck in the lake have been cut and removed, and work is also being done manually for water drainage. Two outboard motor boats of the NDRF have also reached Harshil to help open the lake. The missing people include nine Army personnel, eight from Dharali village, five from nearby areas, one from Tehri district, 13 from Bihar, six from Uttar Pradesh, one from Rajasthan and 25 citizens of Nepal. Work is being done to deliver food and relief materials to the disaster-affected areas. However, officials said due to bad weather in Harshil, an Mi-17 and a Chinook helicopter carrying supplies returned to the Chinyalisaur airstrip midway. On the other hand, two Chinook helicopters were deployed in Dharasu on Wednesday so that less time is taken in delivering essentials to the affected areas. Another ALH-1 helicopter from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh joined the rescue operation on Wednesday. The work of restoring road connectivity to the disaster-affected area is also going on in full swing. After the construction of a Bailey bridge at Limchagad on the Gangotri National Highway, the obstructed road between Dabrani to Songad and Harshil to Dharali is now being repaired, the state emergency operation centre in Uttarkashi said. Six hundred metres of the five-km stretch between Dabrani and Songad are damaged at three places, while landslide debris is spread over 350 metres of the stretch between Harshil and Dharali, it added. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.


News18
7 hours ago
- News18
Heavy rain forecast for sub-Himalayan West Bengal till Friday
Kolkata, Aug 13 (PTI) The IMD on Wednesday forecast heavy to very heavy rain in the sub-Himalayan districts of West Bengal till Friday morning, owing to strong moisture incursion and an active monsoon trough. Several places in north Bengal, including Alipurduar, Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri received heavy rainfall since Tuesday morning, it said. A low-pressure area over northwest Bay of Bengal is likely to cross north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coasts by Friday, but will not have any direct impact on West Bengal, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a bulletin. The sub-Himalayan districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall till Friday morning, it said. Light to moderate rain is likely to occur at many places in south Bengal till Friday morning, the bulletin said. The IMD said Alipurduar received the maximum rainfall in the past 24 hours till 8.30 am on Wednesday at 210 mm, while Cooch Behar recorded 105-mm precipitation during the same period. Other places that received considerable amount of rain include Bagdogra (83 mm), Jalpaiguri (72 mm) and Raiganj (91 mm), it added. PTI AMR RBT view comments First Published: August 13, 2025, 16:30 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.