UPDATE 2-Flash floods swallow Indian village, at least four dead, over 50 missing
Teams from army and disaster response forces had reached the area, local authorities said, with workers trying to rescue people trapped under debris and sludge, authorities added.
TV news channels showed water, mud and debris surging down a mountain, sweeping away homes and a road.
The mudslide cleaved through Dharali village, burying some houses, according to a video update shared by the state chief minister's office.
'A massive mudslide struck Dharali village in the KheerGad area near Harsil, triggering a sudden flow of debris and water through the settlement,' the Central Command of the Indian Army said in a post on X.
Uttarakhand is prone to floods and landslides, which some experts blame on climate change.
At least 200 people died in 2021 when flash floods swept away two hydroelectric projects in the state.
There are about 10,000 glaciers in the Indian Himalayas, and many are receding due to the warming climate. — Reuters
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Free Malaysia Today
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Flash floods kill 6 in Myanmar-China border town
The northern town of Laiza is a stronghold of the Kachin Independence Army. (EPA Images pic) YANGON : Monsoon floods in a rebel-held Myanmar town on the country's mountainous border with China have killed six people, a spokesman for the armed group controlling the area said today. The northern town of Laiza bordering China's Yunnan province has reported flash flooding since early Monday, when muddy waist-high waters began to stream through the streets. Laiza is a stronghold of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), which has for decades commanded control of its own ethnic enclave and emerged as one of the most powerful factions in Myanmar's civil war. 'A lot of water flowed down the mountain to the river,' said KIA spokesman Naw Bu. 'The flow of water was too strong and destroyed areas surrounding the river,' he added. 'Six people were killed in the flood and 100 houses were destroyed.' Rescue operation had begun today, he said, but were being hampered by road blockages. 'All of the roads have been damaged and the roads disappeared in some areas,' said one resident, who declined to be named for security reasons. 'The water rose suddenly.' More than 3.5 million people are currently displaced in Myanmar amid the civil war sparked by a 2021 coup, many sheltering in temporary camps, leaving them exposed to the elements. The resident said flooding was 'terrible' around local camps for the displaced where some shelters had been swept away and people had been wounded. Myanmar is in the midst of its monsoon season when daily deluges are common. But scientists say hazardous weather events are becoming more frequent and severe around the world as a result of human-driven climate change.


Malay Mail
17 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Four dead, 100 missing as flash flood slams Himalayan town in India
DEHRADUN, Aug 6 — A flash flood driving a torrent of mud smashed into a town in India's Himalayan region yesterday, killing at least four people with around 100 others missing. The roaring waters tore down a narrow mountain valley, demolishing buildings as the flood barrelled into the town of Dharali in Uttarakhand state. 'It is a serious situation,' Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth told the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency. 'We have received information about four deaths and around 100 people missing. We pray for their safety.' Videos broadcast on Indian media showed a terrifying surge of muddy water sweeping away multi-storey apartment blocks in the tourist region. Several people could be seen running before being engulfed by the dark waves of debris that uprooted entire buildings. Uttarakhand State Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said rescue teams had been deployed 'on a war footing'. Wake-up call India's army said 150 troops had reached the town, helping rescue around 20 people who had survived the wall of freezing sludge. 'A massive mudslide struck Dharali... triggering a sudden flow of debris and water through the settlement,' the army said. Images released by the army, taken from the site after the main torrent had passed, showed a river of slow-moving mud. A wide swath of the town was swamped by deep debris. In places, the mud lapped at the rooftops of houses. State Disaster Response Force commander Arpan Yaduvanshi said the mud was 50 feet (15 metres) deep in places, swamping some buildings entirely. 'Search and rescue efforts are ongoing, with all available resources being deployed to locate and evacuate any remaining stranded persons,' army spokesman Suneel Bartwal said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences in a statement, and said that 'no stone is being left unturned in providing assistance'. Chief Minister Dhami said the flood was caused by a sudden and intense 'cloudburst', calling the destruction 'extremely sad and distressing'. The India Meteorological Department issued a red alert warning for the area, saying it had recorded 'extremely heavy' rainfall of around 21 centimetres (eight inches) in isolated parts of Uttarakhand. Deadly floods and landslides are common during the monsoon season from June to September, but experts say climate change, coupled with urbanisation, is increasing their frequency and severity. The UN's World Meteorological Organization said last year that increasingly intense floods and droughts are a 'distress signal' of what is to come as climate change makes the planet's water cycle ever more unpredictable. 'The devastating loss... must be our final wake-up call', said climate activist Harjeet Singh, from the Satat Sampada Climate Foundation in New Delhi. 'This tragedy is a deadly cocktail', he added. 'Global warming is super-charging our monsoons with extreme rain, while on the ground, our own policies of cutting hills; unscientific, unsustainable, and reckless construction; and choking rivers for so-called 'development' are destroying our natural defences.' — AFP

Malay Mail
a day ago
- Malay Mail
Flash floods swallow Indian village, at least four dead and over 50 missing
NEW DELHI, Aug 5 — Surging flood waters swept through a village in the northern Indian Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, killing at least four people and more than 50 others were missing, India Today TV channel reported today. Teams from army and disaster response forces had reached the area, local authorities said, with workers trying to rescue people trapped under debris and sludge, authorities added. TV news channels showed water, mud and debris surging down a mountain, sweeping away homes and a road. The mudslide cleaved through Dharali village, burying some houses, according to a video update shared by the state chief minister's office. 'A massive mudslide struck Dharali village in the KheerGad area near Harsil, triggering a sudden flow of debris and water through the settlement,' the Central Command of the Indian Army said in a post on X. Uttarakhand is prone to floods and landslides, which some experts blame on climate change. At least 200 people died in 2021 when flash floods swept away two hydroelectric projects in the state. There are about 10,000 glaciers in the Indian Himalayas, and many are receding due to the warming climate. — Reuters