A cloudburst in the catchment area of Kheer Ganga River triggered flash floods in the villages of Dharali in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi on Tuesday. The raging waters swept away the houses, hotels, and markets that came in its way, leaving at least four people dead and dozens others missing.
Amid the ongoing search and rescue operation, a video of the flash floods has surfaced, showing two men's miraculous escape, just moments after sludge and water flattened the Dharali village.
In the video, the two men can be seen struggling as they try to escape and save their lives. The horrifying video shows muddy water and rocks raging down the slope after the cloudburst, towards Dharali, which is the main stopover on the way to Gangotri. At least 20-25 hotels, restaurants, and homestays have been washed away in the flash floods.
The visuals from the site show a man running ahead of the fast flowing water to save himself, while another man was stuck in the sludge and debris.
The first man struggles to get out of the debris he is trapped under and is unable to balance himself due to the mud. He slips and falls again while trying to stand. The other man, however, comes running from behind and flees the disaster-hit spot. There is no one around them to help them.
The flash floods sparked widespread panic in the neighbouring villages as well. Other videos showed people screaming in fear, with some trying to call their relatives in the affected areas to ensure their well-being.
An Army team from Harsil has been rushed to the spot to assist in the search and rescue operations. A 16-member Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) team reached Dharali from its 12th battalion stationed at Matli. Another unit of the same strength was also asked to rush to the cloudburst site, officials told PTI.
Chief Minister Dhami assured he is constantly in touch with senior officials and that he is closely monitoring the situation.
"The news of heavy losses due to cloudburst in Dharali (Uttarkashi) area is extremely sad and painful. SDRF, NDRF, district administration and other related teams are engaged on war footing in relief and rescue operations," he said in a post on X.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke with Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami, following which he said that relief and rescue teams are engaged in every possible effort to assist the affect people.
"I express my condolences to the people affected by this tragedy in Dharali, Uttarkashi. Along with this, I pray for the well-being of all the victims. I have spoken to Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami ji and obtained information about the situation. Under the supervision of the state government, relief and rescue teams are engaged in every possible effort. No stone is being left unturned in providing assistance to the people," the PM tweeted.
Uttarakhand has been battered by torrential rain this monsoon season. The weather office issued a 'red' alert, warning of extremely heavy rainfall in the hilly state for today. A 'yellow' alert has been sounded for heavy rainfall throughout the week, PTI reported.