More than 100 missing and at least 5 dead due to a flash flood in the Indian Himalayas

At least five people have died and more than a hundred remain missing after a landslide caused by torrential rains in the state of Uttarakhand, in the Indian Himalayas, official sources reported this Wednesday.

The disaster took place on Tuesday around 1:30 p.m. local time (08:00 GMT) in the village of Dharali, in the Uttarkashi district, when a sudden flash flood descended from the mountains and swept through the town, taking everything in its path and dragging dozens of people down the mountain.

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“Around 150 people have been taken to safe places. According to the available information, four people have been found dead and there are more than 100 missing. We are still waiting for confirmation from the local administration,” declared this Wednesday the Deputy Inspector General of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Mohsen Shahedi, who has deployed three teams in the affected area. Hours later, the state agency PTI reported the recovery of a fifth body from the rubble in Dharali, while search and rescue operations continue. Images released by authorities and media show how the Kheerganga riverbed suddenly overflows and completely submerges the area, which now remains covered in thick mud and debris, hindering the assistance of the authorities. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami arrived at the disaster site this Wednesday to coordinate the on-site response. “Massive rescue efforts are underway, with the participation of more than 160 police officers, including three superintendents and ten deputy superintendents,” declared Dhami, who added that food packages have already been prepared and a medical team has been deployed in anticipation of injuries. Dharali, a popular tourist destination during the summer, remains practically isolated after several access roads were destroyed or blocked by landslides. Authorities have asked the population to stay away from the rivers, due to the risk of further flooding. This disaster occurs in a context of a red alert issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), which warns of “extremely heavy” rainfall in several areas of the state in the coming days. Uttarakhand, a mountainous and ecologically fragile region, has been hit by uninterrupted rains during the current monsoon season, which have caused numerous landslides and floods. The so-called “cloudbursts”, extremely localized phenomena that cause torrential rain in a few minutes, are especially dangerous in areas such as the Himalayas, where the terrain cannot absorb the water, causing flash floods, inundations and landslides of great destructive power.