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Chamoli cloudburst: Debris buries girl, houses destroyed, cars swept away; schools, highway closed | 10 updates
A person is missing in Chepdo village in Uttarakhand's Chamoli, while a girl was buried after debris fell on a house in Sagwara village.
Heavy rain triggered a cloudburst in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district overnight, flooding the Tharali town and leaving behind a trail of destruction. A rain drain, Tunri Gadhera, overflowed into residential and market areas, sweeping debris into houses, the tehsil office, and eventually into the Pindar River.
Two people, including a 20-year-old woman, were reported missing from Sagwara and Chepdon market areas.
Chamoli district magistrate Sandeep Tiwari said the incident occurred around 2am, causing destruction across multiple locations within a one-km radius of the tehsil headquarters as water levels in local streams rose sharply.
Rescue operations by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police and the Indian Army were launched, though road blockages slowed down the movement of teams.
Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said he was personally monitoring the situation and prayed for the safety of residents.
Chamoli cloudburst: 10 key developments
- Girl buried: A person is missing in Chepdo village, while a girl was buried after debris fell on a house in Sagwara village. In Tharali, debris has entered 30–40 houses, and a similar number in Chepdo.
- Damage to infrastructure: Several houses, shops and the tehsil office were filled with debris after Tunri Gadhera canal overflowed.
- Army deployed: Around 50 Indian Army personnel from Rudraprayag were deployed early Saturday, with a medical team, drones and SAR dogs also mobilised.
- Rescue operations hampered: The SDRF and police teams reached the site Friday night but were delayed due to a blocked approach road.
- Relief efforts: The administration has begun setting up relief camps for displaced families.
- Road closed: The Karnaprayag–Gwaldam National Highway was shut after debris piled up near Ming Gadhera. Tharali-Sagwara and Dungri motor roads were also blocked.
- Schools closed: Educational institutions in three development blocks were ordered shut on Saturday.
- Senior officials on ground: Chamoli DM Sandeep Tiwari reached the site early morning, while ADM Vivek Prakash confirmed heavy damage in affected areas.
- CM’s Dhami response: Dhami said on social media, “I am closely monitoring the situation myself. I pray to God for everyone's safety.”
- Uttarkashi cloud burst: The incident comes weeks after a cloudburst in Uttarkashi killed one person and left 65 missing, underscoring the region’s vulnerability to flash floods.
