5 days ago
4 dead, race to rescue survivors after flash flooding hits India
Flash flooding hit India as a result of heavy rain.
Landslides blocked a major highway and heavy rain continued to pelt the region.
Around 130 people were rescued by Tuesday night.
Heavy rain and blocked roads hampered rescue efforts in India's Himalayan state of Uttarakhand on Wednesday, a day after sudden flooding and landslides killed four people and left dozens missing.
Teams of army and disaster force rescuers struggled to reach Dharali village, a popular tourist spot that serves as a pit-stop before climbing to the Hindu pilgrimage town of Gangotri, in Uttarkashi district, as landslides blocked a major highway and heavy rain continued to pelt the region, local media and authorities said.
'The number of missing persons is unknown, however, the relief efforts have continued through the night. We are trying to rescue people and take them to safety,' Harshavardhan, an army colonel leading rescue efforts, said in an X post shared by the Indian army.
Roads leading to the affected areas have either caved in or blocked by boulders, making access difficult, Prashant Arya, a local official in Uttarkashi, told Reuters.
Mobile and electricity towers were also washed away in the flood waters, making connectivity difficult, leading authorities to give rescue workers satellite phones.
The army camp in Harsil, 4km from the flooded village of Dharali, was also hit by flash floods and 11 army personnel were missing, NDTV news channel said.
'Additional army columns along with tracker dogs, drones, logistic drones, earthmoving equipment, etc have been moved ahead to supplement the resources at Harsil to hasten the efforts,' the army's central command said in a post on X.
Santosh Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images
Around 130 people were rescued by Tuesday night, the chief minister of Uttarakhand state, Pushkar Singh Dhami, told news agency ANI, adding that army helicopters were on standby to provide supplies to those stranded in the affected areas.
AFP reported that military helicopters were working to bring in 'essential supplies, medicines and (for the) evacuation of the marooned', it added.
Water will always find a way, best is to stay away from it. Look natures fury in Uttrakashi, where instant flooding in Khir Ganga river just happened.
— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) August 5, 2025
Uttarakhand State Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the flood was caused by an intense 'cloudburst' of rain, and that rescue teams had been deployed 'on a war footing'.
Videos broadcast on Indian media showed a terrifying surge of muddy water sweeping away multi-storey apartment blocks in the tourist region on Tuesday afternoon.
Santosh Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images
Several people could be seen running before being engulfed by the dark waves of debris that uprooted entire buildings.
TV news channels showed floodwaters and mud surging down a mountain and crashing into the village, sweeping away houses and roads as people ran for their lives, Reuters reported
The mudslide cleaved through Dharali village, burying some houses, according to a video update shared by the state chief minister's office.
Uttarakhand is prone to floods and landslides, which some experts blame on climate change.
