New Delhi, Aug 6: Around 150 people have been rescued from Uttarakhand’s flash flood-hit Uttarkashi district, even as 11 army personnel remain missing following a cloudburst on Tuesday, a senior National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) official said.
Deputy Inspector General (Operations) Mohsen Shahedi informed that rescue efforts are ongoing despite major hurdles. Three NDRF teams are on their way to the worst-hit Dharali village but are facing delays due to landslides blocking the Rishikesh-Uttarkashi highway. Meanwhile, bad weather has prevented two more teams from being airlifted from Dehradun.
Shahedi confirmed that joint operations involving the Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and NDRF have so far managed to rescue approximately 150 individuals from affected regions. “We’ve received reports of four confirmed deaths and about 50 people still missing. Eleven Army troops are unaccounted for in the Harsil area,” he stated.
The flash floods, triggered by a cloudburst around 2 p.m. on Tuesday, wreaked havoc in several villages. A temporary lake has formed in the upper regions but is reportedly stable as water levels are receding.
Meanwhile, the ITBP successfully rescued 413 pilgrims stranded on the Kinner Kailash Yatra route after large portions of the trekking path were washed away. The rescue teams employed rope-based traverse crossing to evacuate the pilgrims safely, an ITBP spokesperson said.
Rescue operations are ongoing, with authorities closely monitoring the situation amid challenging terrain and weather conditions. (Agencies)
