Latest news with #MohsenShahedi
Hans India
6 days ago
- Climate
- Hans India
Rescuers retrieve one body in Dharali
Uttarakashi: As the sun set over the flood-ravaged Himalayan village of Dharali with 150 people rescued and one body recovered on Wednesday, fears mounted for those still trapped under the massive river of sludge that buried scores of houses, trees and cars. Four people are suspected to have been killed in the disaster that struck the ecologically fragile area on Tuesday afternoon. Bad weather was hampering rescue operations even as an NDRF team reached the site in the evening. Tonnes of rubble lay on the site with the ITBP, Army and SDRF personnel rummaging through it for those trapped underneath amid continuing rain and road collapses. Officials said the army's Ibex brigade which had helped in rescue operations in the Mana avalanche of February is preparing to take the help of ground penetrating radars to search the missing. Two more NDRF teams are en route to Dharali but have been unable to get there because continuous landslides have blocked the Rishikesh-Uttarkashi highway. According to Mohsen Shahedi, NDRF deputy inspector general (DIG) operations, two NDRF teams are to be airlifted from Dehradun, but they can't be moved as bad weather is preventing a successful sortie.
The Star
6 days ago
- Climate
- The Star
Over 50 missing in flash flood
Dangerous mission: Officials carrying out rescue operations despite the torrential rain in Himachal Pradesh. — Reuters The army brought in sniffer dogs, drones and heavy earth-moving equipment to search for scores of people missing a day after deadly Himalayan flash floods. At least four people were killed and more than 50 are unaccounted for after a wall of muddy water and debris tore down a narrow mountain valley, smashing into the town of Dharali in Uttarakhand state, rescue officials said yesterday. Torrential monsoon rains continue to pour down hampering rescue efforts, with communication limited and phone lines damaged. But as soldiers and rescue teams reached marooned individuals, assessment of the number missing has been reduced, down from around 100 who were reported to be unaccounted late on Tuesday. 'The search for the missing is ongoing', said Mohsen Shahedi, from the National Disaster Response Force. 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. Shahedi said more than 50 people were missing from Dharali, the town hit by the floods, while 11 soldiers were unaccounted for from the nearby downstream village of Harsil. 'Additional army columns, along with army tracker dogs, drones, logistic drones, earthmoving equipment etc., have been moved... to hasten the efforts', the army said yesterday. Military helicopters were flying in 'essential supplies', it added, as well as collecting those stranded after roads were swept away, although rain and fog made flights difficult. 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'. Several people could be seen running before being engulfed by the dark waves of debris that uprooted entire buildings. Suman Semwal told reporters that his father saw the flood hitting Dharali with a 'rumbling noise' from a village uphill. What he saw was on an 'unimaginable scale', he said. 'They tried to scream, but could not make themselves heard,' Semwal told the newspaper. 'The people couldn't comprehend what was happening. The flood waters struck them in 15 seconds,' he said. A large part of the town was swamped by mud, with rescue officials estimating it was 15m deep in places, swallowing some buildings entirely. Images released by the army and government rescue teams showed men heaving rocks by hand and earth movers removing debris to clear roads. Government weather forecasters said yesterday that all major rivers in Uttarakhand were flowing above the danger mark. 'Residents have been moved to higher reaches in view of rising water levels due to incessant rains,' the army added. — AFP
NZ Herald
6 days ago
- Climate
- NZ Herald
Indian army races to find 50 missing after deadly Uttarakhand floods
However, the assessment of the number missing has been reduced as soldiers and rescue teams reached marooned individuals. Around 100 people were reported as unaccounted for late on Tuesday. 'The search for the missing is ongoing,' said Mohsen Shahedi from the National Disaster Response Force. 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. Shahedi said more than 50 people were missing from Dharali, while 11 soldiers were unaccounted for from the nearby downstream village of Harsil. 'Additional army columns, along with army tracker dogs, drones, logistic drones, earthmoving equipment etc., have been moved... to hasten the efforts,' the army said. Military helicopters were flying in essential supplies, it said, as well as picking up those stranded after roads were swept away even though rain and fog made flights difficult. 'Unimaginable scale' Uttarakhand 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'. Several people could be seen in videos running before being engulfed by the waves of debris that uprooted entire buildings. Suman Semwal told the Indian Express newspaper that his father saw the flood hitting Dharali with a 'rumbling noise' from a village uphill. What he saw was on an 'unimaginable scale', he said. 'They tried to scream, but could not make themselves heard,' Semwal told the newspaper. 'The people couldn't comprehend what was happening. The flood waters struck them in 15 seconds.' A large part of the town was swamped by mud, with rescue officials estimating it was 15m deep in places, swallowing some buildings entirely. Residential buildings partially submerged in sludge after a cloudburst caused a massive mudslide in India's Uttarakhand state. Photo / AFP Images released by the army and government rescue teams showed men heaving rocks by hand and earth movers removing debris to clear roads. Government weather forecasters said on Wednesday that all major rivers in Uttarakhand were flowing above danger levels. 'Residents have been moved to higher reaches in view of rising water levels due to incessant rains,' the army said. The UN's World Meteorological Organisation 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. Hydrologist Manish Shrestha said the 270mm of rain that fell within 24 hours counted as 'an extreme event'. Shrestha, from the Nepal-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, said such rain in mountains had a 'more concentrated' impact than on flatter lowlands. 'Such intense rainfall events are becoming increasingly common, and could be linked to climate change.' Climate activist Harjeet Singh, from the Satat Sampada Climate Foundation in New Delhi, said 'unscientific, unsustainable, and reckless construction' in the name of development were exacerbating the problem and 'destroying our natural defences'. 'Global warming is super-charging our monsoons with extreme rain. 'The devastating loss... must be our final wake-up call.' – Agence France-Presse
Kuwait Times
6 days ago
- Climate
- Kuwait Times
Indian army searches for scores missing after Himalayan flood
NEW DELHI: The Indian army brought in sniffer dogs, drones and heavy earth-moving equipment on Wednesday to search for scores of people missing a day after deadly Himalayan flash floods. At least four people were killed and more than 50 are unaccounted for after a wall of muddy water and debris tore down a narrow mountain valley, smashing into the town of Dharali in Uttarakhand state, rescue officials said on Wednesday. Climate change experts warned that the disaster was a 'wake-up call' to the effects of global warming. Deadly floods and landslides are common during the monsoon season from June to September, but experts say climate change, coupled with urbanization, is increasing their frequency and severity. Torrential monsoon rains have hampered rescue efforts, with communication limited and phone lines damaged. However, the assessment of the number missing has been reduced as soldiers and rescue teams reached marooned individuals. Around 100 people were reported as unaccounted for late on Tuesday. 'The search for the missing is ongoing,' said Mohsen Shahedi from the National Disaster Response Force. 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. Shahedi said more than 50 people were missing from Dharali, while 11 soldiers were unaccounted for from the nearby downstream village of Harsil. 'Additional army columns, along with army tracker dogs, drones, logistic drones, earthmoving equipment etc., have been moved... to hasten the efforts,' the army said. Military helicopters were flying in essential supplies, it said, as well as picking up those stranded after roads were swept away even though rain and fog made flights difficult. Uttarakhand 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'. Several people could be seen in videos running before being engulfed by the waves of debris that uprooted entire buildings. Suman Semwal told the Indian Express newspaper that his father saw the flood hitting Dharali with a 'rumbling noise' from a village uphill. What he saw was on an 'unimaginable scale', he said. 'They tried to scream, but could not make themselves heard,' Semwal told the newspaper. 'The people couldn't comprehend what was happening. The flood waters struck them in 15 seconds.' A large part of the town was swamped by mud, with rescue officials estimating it was 50 feet (15 metres) deep in places, swallowing some buildings entirely. Images released by the army and government rescue teams showed men heaving rocks by hand and earth movers removing debris to clear roads. Government weather forecasters said on Wednesday that all major rivers in Uttarakhand were flowing above danger levels. 'Residents have been moved to higher reaches in view of rising water levels due to incessant rains,' the army said. 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. Hydrologist Manish Shrestha said the 270 millimeters (10 inches) of rain that fell within 24 hours counted as 'an extreme event'. Shrestha, from the Nepal-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, said such rain in mountains had a 'more concentrated' impact than on flatter lowlands. 'Such intense rainfall events are becoming increasingly common, and could be linked to climate change,' he said. Climate activist Harjeet Singh, from the Satat Sampada Climate Foundation in New Delhi, said 'unscientific, unsustainable, and reckless construction' in the name of development were exacerbating the problem and 'destroying our natural defenses'. 'Global warming is super-charging our monsoons with extreme rain,' Singh said. 'The devastating loss... must be our final wake-up call.' – AFP
Observer
6 days ago
- Climate
- Observer
Indian army searches for scores missing after deadly flood
New Delhi: The Indian army brought in sniffer dogs, drones and heavy earth-moving equipment Wednesday to search for scores of people missing a day after deadly Himalayan flash floods. At least four people were killed and more than 50 are unaccounted for after a wall of muddy water and debris tore down a narrow mountain valley, smashing into the town of Dharali in Uttarakhand state, rescue officials said on Wednesday. Torrential monsoon rains continue to pour down hampering rescue efforts, with communication limited and phone lines damaged. But as soldiers and rescue teams reached marooned individuals, assessment of the number missing has been reduced, down from around 100 who were reported to be unaccounted late on Tuesday. "The search for the missing is ongoing", said Mohsen Shahedi, from the National Disaster Response Force. 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. Shahedi said more than 50 people were missing from Dharali, the town hit by the floods, while 11 soldiers were unaccounted for from the nearby downstream village of Harsil. "Additional army columns, along with army tracker dogs, drones, logistic drones, earthmoving equipment etc., have been moved... to hasten the efforts", the army said Wednesday. Military helicopters were flying in "essential supplies", it added, as well as collecting those stranded after roads were swept away, although rain and fog made flights difficult. - 'Unimaginable scale' - 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". Several people could be seen running before being engulfed by the dark waves of debris that uprooted entire buildings. Suman Semwal told Indian Express newspaper that his father saw the flood hitting Dharali with a "rumbling noise" from a village uphill. What he saw was on an "unimaginable scale", he said. "They tried to scream, but could not make themselves heard," Semwal told the newspaper. "The people couldn't comprehend what was happening. The flood waters struck them in 15 seconds," he said. A large part of the town was swamped by mud, with rescue officials estimating it was 50 feet (15 metres) deep in places, swallowing some buildings entirely. Images released by the army and government rescue teams showed men heaving rocks by hand and earth movers removing debris to clear roads. Government weather forecasters said Wednesday that all major rivers in Uttarakhand were flowing above the danger mark. "Residents have been moved to higher reaches in view of rising water levels due to incessant rains," the army added. 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. Hydrologist Manish Shrestha said the 270 millimetres (10 inches) of rain within 24 hours counted as "an extreme event". Shrestha, from the Nepal-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, said such rain in mountains had a "more concentrated" impact than on flatter lowlands. "Such intense rainfall events are becoming increasingly common, and could be linked to climate change," he said.
