Uttarkashi cloudburst: Rescuers retrieve 1 body in flood-hit Dharali, 150 rescued but many still missing

A body was recovered and 150 people rescued from the flood-ravaged mountain village of Dharali on Wednesday as the search for the missing resumed amid huge challenges on a rain-drenched morning.

Landslides blocked arterial roads leading up to Dharali where dozens of people were trapped and many homes and cars swept away by the raging waters on Tuesday. Eleven Army personnel from the nearby camp in Harsil were among those missing.

The person whose body was retrieved was identified as that of 35-year-old Akash Panwar, the Uttarkashi Disaster Control Room said.

Four people are confirmed killed in the disaster that struck the ecologically fragile area following a cloudburst on Tuesday afternoon. At least half of Dharali was buried under the fast flowing mudslide of slush, rubble and water.

The village is the main stopover on the way to Gangotri, from where the Ganga originates, and is home to several hotels and home stays.

According to Mohsen Shahedi, NDRF deputy inspector general (DIG) operations, three teams of the federal contingency force are enroute to Dharali but have been unable to get there because continuous landslides have blocked the Rishikesh -Uttarkashi highway.

Dharali is about 140 km from Dehradun and usually a five-hour drive.

Two NDRF teams are to be airlifted from Dehradun but they can't be moved as bad weather is preventing a successful sortie, Shahedi told reporters in Delhi.

Teams of the Army, ITBP and state SDRF are undertaking rescue operations in the affected area and about 150 people have been rescued, he said.

“We have been told that four people have been killed and about 50 are missing,” Shahedi said.

The Gangotri national highway is blocked at various points with a joint team of more than 200 rescue personnel waiting in Bhatwari for the route to open, added an official at the district emergency operation centre in Uttarkashi.

A bridge built over Limaccha river at Gangnani on Gangotri NH was swept away by the flashflood leaving a team of rescue personnel stranded on way to Dharali.

As rescuers struggled to get to Dharali, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to get an update on the situation and assured him of the Centre's assistance.

Dhami held a meeting with officials at the State Emergency Operation Centre here to review the rescue efforts.

He surveyed the flooded area in Dharali and Harsil from a helicopter.

"The rescue work is apace. Teams from the army, ITBP, and SDRF have reached the spot.,, A road has been blocked. The DM and an SP rank officer are on their way to the spot. It's a challenging situation as it is still raining there," he told PTI Videos.

Dhami said arrangements have been made for medicines and food, and 160 police personnel have been deployed to oversee the disbursement of rations. Three nodal officers have been appointed from the CM's office.

"Every life matters to us," the chief minister said In a social media post later, he said officials in Uttarkashi have been asked to be on the alert mode round the clock.

All government agencies, departments and the army are working with total coordination, he said.

Over 100 ITBP, BRO and SDRF personnel are engaged in rescue operations on the site and many more are on the way to join in soon, said Home Secretary Shailesh Bagauli The Indian Army has kept its MI-17 and Chinook helicopters on standby to look for the stranded. They will take off only after the weather clears.

At least 60 people are said to have gone missing, but the number is likely higher, as many had gathered for the Har Dudh fair in Dharali village when the tragedy struck, locals said.

Col Harshvardhan, commanding officer of 14 Raj Rif, is leading the relief and rescue operations with a 150-soldier team.

Despite its soldiers going missing and its base being hit, the team is working with full courage and determination, Defence Spokesperson Lt Col Manish Shrivastava said. Shrivastava said.

It is raining heavily in various parts of Uttarakhand with many rivers in spate.

Major rivers like the Mandakini in Rudraprayag, the Banganga in Haridwar and the Bhagirathi in Devprayag are flowing above the danger mark, the Central Water Commission said in a bulletin.

A landslide occurred late on Tuesday evening along the railway tracks passing through the Motichur range of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve bringing movement of trains from Haridwar towards Rishikesh and Dehradun to a halt.

A help desk has been set up at Haridwar railway station for passengers.