Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday spoke with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to enquire about the flash flood at Dharali and ordered the dispatch of seven rescue teams to assist the affected people.
A cloudburst led to flash floods in the high altitude villages of Dharali on the way to Gangotri on Tuesday with several houses getting damaged or swept away in the raging waters and at least four people killed, officials said.
"Spoke to the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand regarding the flash flood in Dharali (Uttarkashi) to get information about the incident. Three ITBP teams, stationed nearby, have been sent to the spot while four NDRF teams have also been dispatched and they will reach soon and engage in rescue operations," Shah wrote on X in Hindi.
A 16-member Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) team has reached Dharali from its 12th battalion stationed at Matli in Uttarakhand while another unit of the same strength has also been asked to rush to the cloudburst site, the officials said.
Dharali is the main stopover on the way to Gangotri and is home to many hotels, restaurants and homestays.