A devastating cloudburst in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district on Tuesday led to a landslide and flash floods, killing four people and leaving many feared missing. The cloudburst occurred in the Kheer Ganga river catchment area.
Terrifying visuals showed torrents of water crashing down a hill into Tharali village, sweeping away houses. Panic-stricken voices could be heard in eyewitness videos posted online. Uttarkashi police shared images of the destruction and warned people to stay away from rivers. “Ensure children and animals are also kept at a safe distance,” they urged.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said SDRF, NDRF, and district teams were carrying out rescue efforts on a war footing. “I’m in constant touch with officials and monitoring the situation closely,” he posted on X.
The state has seen relentless rainfall this season. On Monday, two people died and two shops were buried under debris in Rudraprayag. In Udham Singh Nagar, rising levels of the Levda river triggered a flood-like situation, impacting villages along the Rampur-Nainital road.
The IMD has issued a red alert for extremely heavy rain in Uttarakhand today and a yellow alert for the rest of the week.