A 28-member tourist group from Kerala has vanished following catastrophic cloudbursts that triggered massive landslides and flash floods in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district on Tuesday, adding to the growing casualty count from the natural disaster.

The missing tourists were traveling from Uttarkashi to the sacred Gangotri pilgrimage site when disaster struck around 8:30 AM on Wednesday morning. Among the disappeared group, 20 individuals are Kerala natives currently residing in Maharashtra, while the remaining eight belong to various districts across Kerala.

Family members of the missing tourists have been unable to establish contact since the group departed for their pilgrimage journey. A relative of one affected couple revealed that they had spoken with their family members just a day before the incident, when the tourists mentioned they were leaving Gangotri. The subsequent landslides occurred along the exact route the group was traveling.

The 10-day Uttarakhand tour was organized through a Haridwar-based travel agency, which has also lost communication with the group and cannot provide updates on their whereabouts. Communication challenges have been compounded by mobile network disruptions in the affected region, with relatives expressing concern that the tourists' phones may have depleted their batteries by now.

The devastating cloudburst struck the ecologically sensitive Dharali area on Tuesday afternoon, claiming at least four lives and burying nearly half of the village under massive accumulations of debris, mud, and floodwater. Dharali serves as a popular stopover for pilgrims and tourists traveling to Gangotri, considered the source of the sacred Ganga river, attracting thousands of visitors annually.

The disaster has also impacted military personnel, with nine Indian Army soldiers reported missing after the destructive floods in the Kheer Ganga river. Currently, 150 rescue personnel under the leadership of Colonel Harshvardhan, Commanding Officer of 14 RAJRIF, are conducting intensive relief and search operations in the challenging terrain.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally contacted Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to assess the situation and coordinate response efforts. In a social media statement, the Prime Minister confirmed that state authorities are actively supervising relief teams and implementing every possible measure to assist affected individuals.

The Dharali region's strategic location on the Gangotri pilgrimage route makes it particularly vulnerable to natural disasters during monsoon season. The area regularly hosts numerous hotels, guesthouses, and temporary accommodations for pilgrims and tourists, many of which have been completely destroyed by the torrential floodwaters.

Rescue operations continue despite challenging weather conditions and difficult mountain terrain. The scale of destruction has made it extremely difficult for emergency teams to access all affected areas and locate missing persons, including the Kerala tourist group whose fate remains unknown.

The incident highlights the inherent risks faced by pilgrims and tourists in the fragile Himalayan ecosystem, particularly during periods of intense rainfall that can trigger sudden cloudbursts and flash floods with devastating consequences for travelers caught in remote mountainous areas.