Latest news with #Shahedi
The Star
4 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
4 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
4 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
4 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.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Climate
- The Sun
Indian army searches for missing after deadly Himalayan floods
NEW DELHI: The Indian army intensified search operations on Wednesday for scores of people missing after deadly flash floods in the Himalayan region. Sniffer dogs, drones, and heavy earth-moving equipment were deployed to locate survivors in the devastated town of Dharali, Uttarakhand. At least four people were confirmed dead, while more than 50 remain unaccounted for after the disaster struck. Torrential monsoon rains continued to hinder rescue efforts, with communication lines severely damaged. Rescue teams managed to reach stranded individuals, reducing the number of missing from an initial estimate of 100. 'The search for the missing is ongoing,' said Mohsen Shahedi from the National Disaster Response Force. Videos showed a terrifying surge of muddy water destroying multi-storey buildings in the tourist-heavy region. Shahedi confirmed over 50 missing in Dharali, while 11 soldiers were unaccounted for in the nearby village of Harsil. Additional army units, including tracker dogs and drones, were mobilised to speed up rescue operations. Military helicopters delivered essential supplies and evacuated stranded residents, though bad weather complicated flights. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami attributed the disaster to an intense 'cloudburst' and ordered rescue teams to work 'on a war footing.' Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos as floodwaters engulfed buildings within seconds. Suman Semwal recounted his father witnessing the flood with a 'rumbling noise' before it struck Dharali. 'The flood waters struck them in 15 seconds,' Semwal told the Indian Express. Mud deposits up to 50 feet deep buried parts of the town, swallowing entire structures. Rescue teams worked manually and with machinery to clear debris and reopen blocked roads. Government weather agencies warned that all major rivers in Uttarakhand were flowing above danger levels. Residents were relocated to higher ground as water levels continued to rise. Experts linked the disaster to climate change, noting increasingly frequent extreme weather events. The UN's World Meteorological Organization has warned of worsening floods and droughts due to climate disruptions. Hydrologist Manish Shrestha called the 270mm rainfall in 24 hours an 'extreme event' with concentrated impacts in mountainous areas. 'Such intense rainfall events are becoming increasingly common,' Shrestha said. - AFP
