India's flood rescue efforts hampered by landslides, blocked roads

Al Jazeera

3 days ago

Rescue workers are battling heavy rain and blocked roads after at least four people were killed and dozens reported missing after flash floods and landslides swept through parts of India's northern Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.
The flood struck Dharali, a village in Uttarkashi district and a popular stop on the way to the Hindu pilgrimage town of Gangotri, after a sudden surge of muddy water mixed with debris engulfed the valley on Tuesday.
The flooding was triggered by intense monsoon rains, which continued to lash the region into Wednesday, complicating rescue efforts.
Al Jazeera understands that among the missing are at least eight soldiers from a nearby army base, while more than 190 people have been rescued.
Telephone lines remain damaged, and communication with the affected area is limited. Roads leading to the village have either collapsed or been blocked by large boulders, according to local official Prashant Arya.
'A large part of the village is engulfed in mud,' he told the news agency Reuters. 'Some areas are covered up to 15 metres deep – enough to bury entire buildings.'
The Indian army said it is leading efforts to find approximately 50 people still unaccounted for. Mohsen Shahedi of the National Disaster Response Force said 'the search for the missing is continuing'.
The army's central command confirmed that 'additional military columns' have been deployed, along with tracker dogs, drones and heavy earthmoving equipment. Military helicopters are delivering supplies, including medical aid, and evacuating those stranded.
Mobile and electricity towers were swept away by the floodwaters, forcing authorities to issue satellite phones to rescue teams.
Television footage showed torrents of dark, debris-filled water crashing through Dharali, sweeping away buildings and roads as residents fled for their lives. A video shared by the office of Uttarakhand's chief minister showed parts of the village buried under mud.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami confirmed that about 130 people had been rescued by Tuesday night, and that helicopters were ready to deliver relief supplies to remote areas cut off by the flooding.
'People didn't understand what was happening. The floodwaters hit them in 15 seconds,' Suman Semwal told The Indian Express, recounting how her father, watching from a neighbouring village upstream, saw the flood hit with a 'thud' and 'unimaginable magnitude'.
The Indian Meteorological Department said that water levels in all major rivers in Uttarakhand had risen above the danger mark. 'Residents have been relocated to higher ground due to rising water levels caused by the incessant rains,' the Indian Army said in a statement.
Hydrologist Manish Shrestha said 270mm of rainfall recorded in 24 hours qualifies as an 'extreme event', particularly dangerous in mountainous regions where such rainfall has a 'more concentrated' impact.
Shrestha, from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development in Nepal, added that such intense rainfall events are becoming more frequent and could be linked to the climate crisis.