A massive flash flood triggered by a powerful cloudburst in northern India has swept away large parts of Dharali village, leaving at least five people dead and about 100 missing.
The disaster, which struck the Kheer Ganga valley in Uttarkashi district on Tuesday afternoon, was caught in a terrifying video showing muddy water tearing through the mountain settlement and sweeping away entire structures within seconds.
Highlights
- A massive flash flood swept through Dharali village in Uttarakashi in India, killing 5 people and leaving around 100 missing.
- Rescue efforts are underway with the Indian Army, NDRF, ITBP, and Air Force deployed, rescuing over 413 people despite blocked roads and landslides.
- Continuous rains caused landslides and road damage, complicating rescue missions in the fragile Himalayan region and popular pilgrimage routes.
- Experts warn that climate change and unchecked Himalayan development are increasing such severe, frequent disasters during Uttarakhand’s monsoon season.
It submerged homes and washed away hotels before cutting off roads leading to the area.
The video shows scenes of chaos as terrified residents and tourists ran for their lives, and onlookers screamed for them to run.
A massive flash flood has wiped out parts of an Indian village, leaving five dead and 100 missing
Image credits: Uttarakhand Police/Getty Images
“A massive mudslide struck Dharali … triggering a sudden flow of debris and water through the settlement,” the Indian Army deployed in the rescue mission said.
While the disaster is being ruled a cloudburst, many scientists and geologists believe it was a glacier burst.
“The entire Dharali has been completely hit by the disaster, and after yesterday’s incident, debris has come there in several phases,” the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami, told ANI.
“In this way, debris came repeatedly and everything there became a victim of the disaster,” he added.
Dharali is a small, high-altitude village in the foothills of the Himalayas with a population of 505 people. The village sits on a popular trekking and pilgrimage route near Kheer Ganga and Gangotri, which attracts many travelers.
Image Credits: Google Earth
The Indian Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Border Roads Organisation (BRO), and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed for a massive search-and-rescue operation.
Air Force stations have also been on high alert and “were activated during the night for loading relief and rescue material, along with preparing the IAF and Indian Army, for the rescue missions,” the Indian Air Force said.
Terrifying video shows how muddy waters tore through the mountain settlement
According to ITBP spokesperson Kamlesh Kamal, a total of 413 people have been rescued. “Five teams of ITBP consisting of 130 jawans [army men] are there in Dharali,” he told the Hindustan Times, adding that more army teams are en route to the disaster area.
“Today, we have also set up communication ... Now that the equipment has been provided, it is possible that we will see that this rescue operation will gain momentum,” he said.
“Right now the injured are also being rescued from there and brought to Uttarkashi,” Chief Minister Dhami said.
“The entire connecting road has been completely affected by landslides at many places... The government is fully committed to make all the arrangements. The prime minister [Narendra Modi] has also assured us to provide all possible help, and under his guidance, we will help the disaster victims properly,” he continued.
Image credits: Indian Army
Continuous rains have also caused landslides along the Uttarkashi-Gangotri highway, a key route leading to the affected area, complicating rescue efforts.
The rains have also washed away a 100-meter stretch of the road, and large debris has blocked another road, all of which are currently being repaired by BRO.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the affected families and said that “no stone is being left unturned in providing assistance to the people.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the affected families and said that “no stone is being left unturned in providing assistance to the people.”
Rain has caused landslides, blocking rescue operations in the tourist destination
Image credits: Indian Army
The India Meteorological Department recorded more than 8 inches of “extremely heavy” rainfall in isolated areas of Uttarakhand and issued a red alert for further downpours.
However, experts believe that the flood was likely caused not by a cloudburst but by a glacier collapse or a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF), which unleashed a sudden torrent of water and debris downstream.
Satellite imagery and meteorological data showed that rainfall in the region was too low to cause such severe flooding, casting doubt on the cloudburst theory.
“There is a glacier right above the Kheer Gad stream. A sudden water release—whether from a glacial lake outburst or a glacier burst, could easily trigger a high-energy flash flood,” a scientist told First Post.
Scientists and geologists believe the reason behind the flood was a glacier collapse
Image credits: Geologist Imran Khan/LinkedIn
Images released by the Indian Army show homes submerged up to their rooftops and streets turned into rivers of mud. Rescue teams are using heavy machinery and hand tools to sift through the debris in search of survivors.
This disaster is the latest in a series of extreme weather events to hit Uttarakhand during the monsoon season.
Experts have long warned that climate change and unchecked construction in fragile Himalayan regions are increasing the frequency and severity of such disasters.
Image credits: Uttarakhand Police/Facebook
As rescue operations continue, Uttarakhand police have urged people to avoid unnecessary travel to the affected areas.
“Travellers and local residents are requested to avoid unnecessary travel: Chamoli Police, Uttarakhand,” ANI posted on X.
The full scale of the destruction in Dharali is still being assessed, and officials fear that the number of missing could rise as rescuers reach more remote areas of the valley.
This tragedy follows a history of severe cloudburst-related disasters in Uttarakhand, including floods in 2013 that killed over 6,000 people and affected 4,500 villages.