Uttarkashi: Rescuers resume search for missing people in flood-hit Dharali village

Heavy rain continued to pound Uttarkashi as rescuers resumed their operations on Wednesday in Dharali, searching for flash flood victims amid the rubble.

Nearly half of the picturesque Dharali village was ravaged by the flash flood on Tuesday afternoon.

The village is the main stopover on the way to Gangotri, from where the Ganga originates Four deaths have so far been confirmed in the flash flood, which followed a cloudburst. Around 130 people have been evacuated to safety.

Not a single body has yet been retrieved from the rubble.

The Indian Army has deployed its MI-17 and Chinook helicopters to look for the stranded.

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.

The missing also include 11 soldiers, Defence spokesperson Lt Col Manish Shrivastava said.

Colonel 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, Shrivastava said.