Flash flood havoc in Uttarakhand

Uttarkashi: Disaster swept through the Himalayan village of Dharali on way to Gangotri on Tuesday with a massive cloudburst leading to flashfloods that barrelled through homes, trees and cars, trapping 60-70 people and leaving at least four dead.

Dharali is the main stopover on way to Gangotri, the origin of the Ganges, and home to many hotels, restaurants and home stays. At least half the village was buried under the fast-flowing mudslide of slush, rubble and water, officials said as rescue personnel battled the elements in the ecologically fragile heights to contain the damage of the afternoon.

Contiguous buildings, including three and four-storey houses, fell like a pack of cards as the surging waters washed over them. The devastating flashflood came in the wake of a cloudburst somewhere in the catchment area of the Kheer Ganga river. And Dharali was not the only hit.

The raging waters flowed down two different sides of the same hill, one towards Dharali and the other towards the village of Sukki, said state Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman. The rain continued through the afternoon and till evening, hampering rescue efforts.

Besides, landslides blocked 163 roads, including five national highways, seven state highways and two border roads across the state, further impeding rescue and preventing personnel from getting to the far-flung area, about 140 km from the state capital Dehradun and usually a five-hour drive. An army team from the nearest location of Harsil was immediately rushed to the spot to launch rescue operations but teams from other places found it difficult to reach due to bad weather and disrupted roads, Suman said.

According to initial reports, at least four people have died, Uttarkashi District Magistrate Prashant Arya told reporters in Dehradun before rushing to the spot. There was no official confirmation on the number of people who went missing after the flash flood but it is likely to be high as the sudden rush of floodwaters gave people no time to run towards safety. Uttarakhand Principal Secretary R K Sudhanshu said 40 to 50 buildings are damaged.

He added that helicopters could not be pressed into service either because of bad weather. As darkness fell, announcements were made asking people to move to safer ground. Locals said a large portion of the Dharali market was washed away. Rajesh Panwar, an eyewitness to the horror of nature's relentless fury, said that about 20-25 hotels and homestays may have been washed away.

A 16-member Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) team reached Dharali from its 12th battalion stationed at Matli in Uttarakhand while another unit of the same strength was also asked to rush to the disaster site, officials said.