A catastrophic flash flood, triggered by a suspected cloudburst or glacial lake outburst on August 5, obliterated over 70% of Dharali village in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, leaving eyewitnesses in nearby Mukhba and Markandeya villages traumatized. From a railing overlooking the destruction 1.5 km away, women like Asha Semwal watched helplessly as torrents of mud and debris razed homes, hotels, and the 500-year-old Kalp Kedar temple. “We shouted and whistled to warn people, but it was over in seconds,” Asha told PTI, her voice heavy with grief. “Dharali was our neighbor. We knew almost everyone there.”

Nisha Semwal from Markandeya recounted the horror: “People cried for help, but everything was gone by afternoon. Entire families vanished.” The deluge, striking around 1:30 PM, swept through the bustling Dharali market, a stopover for Gangotri pilgrims, at an estimated 500 kmph, according to hotel owner Sanjay Singh Panwar, whose Himgiri hotel was demolished. “There was no time to react,” he said. Locals estimate 50–150 people, including villagers, Nepali and Bihari laborers, and tourists, remain missing, with at least five confirmed deaths.

Jairaj, an undergraduate from Uttarkashi, saw the flood after his mother’s alert. “I whistled desperately, but the mudslide engulfed 20–25 hotels and dozens of people in moments,” he said. Jaivir Negi, a hotel worker, noted the village’s 400 residents were scattered across the market, homes, and the Hardoodh fair during the disaster. Suresh Semwal, Gangotri temple committee secretary, estimated losses at Rs 300–400 crore, with 40–50 hotels and homes washed away.

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Sulochana Devi from Mukhba, speechless with shock, urged government aid for survivors now sheltered in army camps and schools. Rescue efforts, involving over 225 Army, NDRF, SDRF, and ITBP personnel, face challenges from blocked roads and heavy rain, with helicopters on standby. Experts cite unregulated construction and deforestation as amplifying factors, intensifying calls for AI-driven warning systems.

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