Rain Threatens Rescue in Flood-Ravaged Uttarkashi
Uttarkashi’s rescue operations face delays due to rain.
Relentless early morning rain on Monday jeopardized ongoing search and rescue efforts in Dharali village, Uttarkashi, where devastating flash floods and mudslides buried nearly half the village last week. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a ‘yellow’ alert for all Uttarakhand districts, warning of continued rainfall, and a ‘red’ alert for heavy to very heavy rain in Almora, Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital, Pauri, and Udham Singh Nagar.
In Uttarkashi, rescuers are manually digging through debris, with fading hopes of finding survivors, as the district administration reports four confirmed deaths, two recovered bodies, and 49 people still missing.
A critical bailey bridge near Gangnani, connecting flood-hit areas, is partially operational, offering some relief. However, the Gangotri National Highway remains blocked at Songad, Dabrani, and Harsil, with debris clearance efforts ongoing. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, speaking from Dehradun, stated that the highway is expected to be fully operational by Tuesday or Wednesday.
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is painstakingly excavating sites, including a former hotel location, using radar equipment to detect possible survivors trapped beneath rubble. Uttarkashi District Magistrate Prashant Arya inspected efforts in Harsil to manage a lake formed by the floods, which also damaged an Army camp, leaving nine personnel, including one junior commissioned officer and eight jawans, among the missing.
As rain persists, rescue teams face mounting challenges in their race against time.
Also Read: Flash Floods Devastate China: 17 Killed, 33 Missing in Gansu and Guangzhou!
