Uttarakhand cloudburst: A cloudburst in Dharali area of Uttarkashi has caused a lot of havoc. After cloudburst, the Kheerganga river flooded, causing Dharali village to be badly affected. More than 20 houses, hotels and home stays collapsed due to strong current and debris. At this time, a rescue operation is going on in Dharali, Harshil and Sukhi tops. So far more than 150 people have been safely evacuated.
10 people died
So far 10 people have died due to cloudburst in Uttarkashi, while many people, including about 10 army personnel, are missing. Army, SDRF, NDRF and police-administration teams are engaged in relief and rescue operations. Colonel Harsh Vardhan and 150 soldiers of the 14th Rajrif of the army are engaged in rescue work. Rescue operation is running fast due to floods due to cloudburst. This disaster is being monitored from the state control room as well.
Half of the village was buried in debris
Half of Dharali village has been buried in the rubble. The village is located about 20 km before Gangotri Dham and is an important stop of the journey. Due to floods and debris, many-four-storey houses fell like cards. According to officials, this disastrous flood occurred due to cloudburst in the catchment area of Kheerganga river. The flood affected not only Dharali, but also Sukki village. In the strong current, the water moved towards both villages.
Rescue work is facing difficulties
Relief and rescue operations are facing difficulties due to weather. There have also been many incidents of landslides due to continuous rains in Uttarakhand. The ADRF has decided to send a team of dead dogs to search for the bodies. This dog team will be brought by air from Delhi, and three rescue teams from various places in the state have also reached the spot, including a total of 35 rescue workers. Harshil Army Camp has also suffered heavy losses, and the helipad there is also submerged in water. At the same time, the Haridwar-Dehradun railway line has been affected by the fall of the mountain debris on the railway track near Bhimgowda tunnel in Haridwar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed deep grief over the incident. In a post on social media, he said that no effort is being left in providing help to the people. He said, “My condolences to the people affected by this tragedy at Dharali in Uttarkashi, and I wish all the victims to recover soon. I have taken information about the situation by talking to Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami. Relief and rescue teams are trying my best to talk to the situation.” Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also expressed grief over the cloudburst in Uttarkashi and assured the state government to provide all kinds of help.
The weather is not expected to get relief in Uttarakhand on Wednesday. The Meteorological Department has issued a red alert regarding heavy rains in many areas of the state. In addition, orange alert has also been released in some places. Red alert is especially in parts of Haridwar, Nainital and Singh Nagar districts. At the same time, an orange alert has been issued in Champawat, Bageshwar, Uttarkashi, Pauri, Tehri and Dehradun districts.
