A cloudburst in the Dharali area of Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand, has caused terrible flash floods and landslides. A group of 28 tourists from Kerala is among the missing. The calamity that happened on Tuesday destroyed residences, hotels, and homestays along the approach to the Gangotri pilgrimage site.
Tourists from Kerala may have gone missing
A group of 28 tourists from Kerala who were on a 10-day trip to Uttarakhand has gone missing. Relatives say that the group was on its way from Uttarkashi to Gangotri when the cloudburst hit. Twenty of the 28 people are said to be from Kerala but have moved to Maharashtra. The other eight are from different districts in Kerala. The party had booked their trip through a travel agency in Haridwar, but that business can’t give them any updates either. Since they left for Gangotri on Wednesday morning, family members have not been able to get in touch with them. People think that the communication blackout is caused by a lack of mobile network in the area and dead phone batteries.
Cloudburst Causes Trouble in Dharali
The cloudburst on Tuesday afternoon sent a huge wave of mud, debris, and water crashing down, burying over half of Dharali, a major halt on the Gangotri pilgrimage path. At least four people have died in the flood, and the area’s infrastructure has been badly damaged. In addition to the visitors, nine Indian Army personnel are also missing after the Kheer Ganga river’s rapid flood damaged their position.
Rescue and Relief Operations Underway
With 150 people involved, lead by Col. Harshvardhan of 14 RAJRIF, rescue and relief efforts are underway. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also heard about the event and talked to Pushkar Singh Dhami, the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand. PM Modi said in a post on X that the state government is in charge of the relief teams and that they are doing everything they can to help those who were hurt by the catastrophe.