Rescuers search for dozens missing after deadly flash floods kill 4 in
northern India
[August 06, 2025]
By BISWAJEET BANERJEE and SHEIKH SAALIQ
LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Rescuers were scouring a devastated Himalayan
village in northern India to find dozens of missing people, a day after
flash floods killed at least four people and left many others trapped
under debris, officials said Wednesday.
Flood waters triggered by intense rains gushed down the narrow mountains
Tuesday into Dharali, a mountain village in Uttarakhand state, sweeping
away homes, roads and a local market.
Teams of army and disaster force rescuers were searching for dozens,
including at least 11 Indian army soldiers, who are believed to be
trapped under the rubble. Authorities said rescue workers had recovered
four bodies by Wednesday.
“The search for others is still underway,” said Dilip Singh, a disaster
management official. Singh said at least 60 people have been rescued so
far and moved to safer locations, but adverse weather conditions,
damaged roads and rugged terrain were hampering rescue efforts.
An Indian army camp in Harsil, some 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) from the
flooded village of Dharali, was also hit by flash floods and 11 army
personnel were missing, said Col. Harshvardhan, who was leading rescue
efforts.
“The conditions are extremely challenging, but our teams are staying
put,” said Lt. Col. Manish Srivastava, a defense spokesperson.
The flooding in northern India is the latest in a series of disasters
that have battered the Himalayan mountains in the last few months.
Sudden, intense downpours over small areas known as cloudbursts are
increasingly common in Uttarakhand, a Himalayan region prone to flash
floods and landslides during the monsoon season. Cloudbursts have the
potential to wreak havoc by causing intense flooding and landslides,
impacting thousands of people in the mountainous regions.
[to top of second column]
|
Heavy machinery is deployed to clear a road after a flash flood that
swept away many houses and buildings in Dharali, a Himalayan
mountain village in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand state,
India, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025. (Indo Tibetan Border Police via AP)
Similar incidents were recorded in Dharali in 1864, 2013 and 2014.
More than 6,000 people died and 4,500 villages were affected when a
similar cloudburst devastated Uttarakhand state in 2013.
Experts say cloudbursts have increased in recent years partly due to
climate change, while damage from the storms also has increased
because of unplanned development in mountain regions.
“This village sits on a ticking time bomb,” said geologist S.P.
Sati. “It is in a highly fragile zone.”
Uttarakhand, known for its rugged terrain, spiritual pilgrimage
sites and popular tourist destinations, has witnessed a growing
number of extreme weather events in recent years.
Lokendra Bisht, a local lawmaker who runs a homestay in the area,
said people ran for their lives, but the flood waters came so fast
that “there was nothing anyone could do.”
“The whole of Dharali village was wiped out,” he said.
—
Saaliq reported from New Delhi.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
