Uttarkashi flash floods: 5 dead, 11 Army jawans missing, trail of destruction left after cloudburst | 5 points

Another cloudburst struck Sukhi Top shortly after the one in Dharali. However, officials said no casualties have been reported from the Sukhi Top area.

Uttarkashi news: At least five persons lost their lives and over 100 are still missing as rescue operations in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi continued for a second day on Thursday following a massive cloudburst that triggered flash floods and landslides.

Rescue teams from ITBP, SDRF, NDRF, and the Indian Army are engaged in the search and relief efforts. (PTI)

A devastating cloudburst first struck Dharali at around 1:40 pm, causing widespread destruction in the region, while another hit the Sukhi Top area. However, no reports of casualties have been received from Sukhi Top. Follow Uttarkashi cloudburst live updates

The cloudburst in Dharali near Harsil took place in the Kheer Ganga catchment area, followed by mudslides in the Kheer Gadh area. Several chilling visuals from Uttarkashi emerged, showing people struggling to move in the mudslides, and screaming for help, calling out to one another to reach safer areas in the vicinity.

Uttarkashi cloudburst and flash floods | Top points

• 5 dead, over 100 missing: The death toll in the deadly cloudburst and flash floods in Uttarkashi's Dharali rose to five on Wednesday as another body was recovered by the forces. ITBP spokesperson Kamlesh Kamal said that 100 people are still stranded, adding that they will be rescued by evening. NDRF DIG Mohsen Shahedi said that since the Rishikesh-Uttarkashi Highway is affected due to the debris and heavy rain, movement on the route is slowed down. He said that 11 army jawans are still missing from the Harsil area.
• 150 people rescued: NDRF DIG Mohsen Shahedi said that teams of the Army, ITBP, and SDRF are undertaking rescue operations in the affected areas, adding that around 150 people have been rescued so far. He said that two NDRF teams are to be airlifted from Dehradun, but they can't be moved due to the bad weather. Meanwhile, 413 pilgrims stranded along the Kinnaur Kailash Yatra route were rescued.
  
  

• Kerala tourist group missing: A 28-member group of tourists, from Kerala, went missing after the cloudburst triggered major mudslides in Uttarakhand, family members said. Of the 28, 20 are reportedly from Kerala, settled in Maharashtra. The remaining eight are from various districts in the southern state. A relative of one of the couples spoke to reporters and said that the couple's son last spoke to them a day ago. "They said they were leaving from Uttarkashi to Gangotri at around 8.30 am that day. The landslides occurred along that route. We have been unable to contact them since they left,” she said. She assumed that their phones might have run out of battery by now, and there might be no mobile network in the region.
• CM Dhami conducts aerial survey, assures help: Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held a meeting with top officials at the State Emergency Operation Centre. He conducted an aerial survey of the Dharali and Harsil areas. Later, Dhami also met the injured soldiers and relatives of those missing in the flood. The CM assured that rescue work is underway, adding that arrangements have also been made for medicines and food. He said that 160 police personnel have been deployed to supervise the disbursement of rations, and three nodal officers have been appointed from the CM's office. "Every life matters to us," Dhami added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home minister Amit Shah have assured complete assistance from the Centre to the state.
  
  

• Rescue operations continue: As over 100 people still remain missing, officers from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the Indian Army, State Disaster Response Force, and National Disaster Response Force are engaged in rescue operations on the site. Meanwhile, the Indian Army has kept its MI-17 and Chinook helicopters on standby to look for the stranded. They will take off once the weather clears. Col Harshvardhan, commanding officer of 14 Rajputana Rifles, is leading the relief and rescue operations with a 150-soldier team.

(with PTI, ANI inputs)