Uttarakhand CM Dhami interacts with evacuees in Uttarkashi, reviews ongoing multi-agency rescue ops

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday visited the Matli Helipad in Uttarkashi district to meet residents airlifted from the flood-hit village of Dharali.

The rescued individuals were evacuated through a coordinated effort involving the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and local authorities.

CM Dhami interacted with those brought to safety and assured them of comprehensive support from the state government. He also held discussions with officials from the administration and rescue teams who are preparing for subsequent evacuation missions.

According to the state government, the evacuation process commenced early Thursday morning. By 9:30 am, 44 people had been rescued from the affected areas of Dharali and Harsil and flown to Matli by ITBP helicopters.

Those evacuated are now being shifted to safer zones where they will receive medical care and shelter. One of the rescued individuals, who had sustained injuries, was flown to Matli for urgent treatment.

Kedarnath Yatra Halted Amid Heavy Rainfall

In Rudraprayag district, continuous rainfall on Tuesday led to the temporary suspension of the Kedarnath Yatra. Rudraprayag Police confirmed that pilgrims returning from Kedarnath Dham were safely assisted by police and SDRF personnel. Blocked routes between Gaurikund and Sonprayag were cleared, enabling authorities to guide pilgrims to secure areas.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Anand Vardhan is monitoring the situation and rescue operations closely from the State Emergency Operations Centre, as heavy monsoon rains continue to impact high-altitude regions of the state, prompting extensive rescue and relief efforts.

Multi-Agency Coordination and Airlifted Rescues

NDRF DIG Gambhir Singh Chauhan provided an update earlier in the day, confirming that helicopter evacuations were actively underway. He explained the challenges faced by ground teams due to damaged roads and communication issues.

"We have four teams, but since all the roads have been blocked and damaged, they couldn't reach Dharali. Yesterday, 35 personnel were able to reach via helicopters. With the helicopter services beginning, the to-and-fro movement of personnel and evacuees has begun. There was a communication issue as well, but since this morning, our satellite phones have been working. State administration, army, ITBP, NDRF, SDRF and even local people are helping each other in the search and rescue operations," Chauhan said.

Drone visuals from Bhatwari, located on the route to Dharali, showed extensive road damage from the cloudburst and mudslide, which had severely hampered earlier rescue efforts.

Tourists Share Their Ordeal and Gratitude

Among those rescued were pilgrims on their way to Gangotri who shared emotional accounts of their experience. Arohi Mehra, a tourist from Jalgaon, Maharashtra, said, "I was very scared when all of this happened. The villagers helped us a lot. We got a lot of strength when we saw our jawans of the Indian Army."

Her fellow traveler, Rupesh Mehra, also acknowledged the difficult conditions faced by the rescue teams. "Roads have been blocked there. We were rescued with helicopters. We got a lot of help from all the agencies deployed there, and we were taken out from there," he said.

Anamika Mehra, who was with the same group, described the critical moments following the disaster. "When the incident took place, we were near Dharali. We were on our way to Gangotri for darshan... The next day, the entire country was there to support us. All the teams reached there to rescue us. I want to thank the Indian Army and the Uttarakhand Police. I want to salute the Uttarakhand Govt for providing us with heli service immediately and rescuing us," she told ANI.

Massive Rescue Effort Underway

On Wednesday, around 190 people were rescued from Dharali following a catastrophic cloudburst that triggered flash floods and landslides. The Indian Army, Indian Air Force, ITBP, NDRF, SDRF, Border Roads Organisation (BRO), and local volunteers have all been actively engaged in the large-scale rescue operation, which is still ongoing in the affected areas.