Dharali flash floods: 43 people still missing, says Uttarakhand government in first official note

Rescue teams from NDRF, SDRF, and ITBP continue search operations in Dharali, Uttarkashi, where 43 people remain missing nearly a week after flash floods devastated the region.

Nearly a week after a flash flood hit Dharali, the Uttarakhand government, in its first official note on Monday, said 43 people were still missing. The authorities have issued a warning of "heavy to very heavy" rainfall for Uttarkashi and surrounding districts in Uttarakhand until August 15, saying that the rainfall could cause fresh landslides and flooding in the region, further delaying search and relief operations, The Times of India reported.

Garhwal commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey was quoted by TOI as saying that finding those trapped under debris was the administration's highest priority.

A joint task force from NDRF, SDRF, ITBP, and a team of geologists has been working in the disaster zone.

"Among the missing are nine Army personnel, eight Dharali locals, five residents from nearby villages, and others from Tehri, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Nepal," Pandey was quoted as saying.

As per the report, contact has been re-established with five of the 29 missing Nepali workers, but the rest remain untraced.

So far, two bodies have been found. Currently, about 300 residents have stayed in Dharali, living alongside the constant movement of relief vehicles, while those with homes elsewhere have moved to Uttarkashi or Dehradun.

So far, 1,278 people have been evacuated, including all stranded visitors and locals without means to leave, the report added. Poor visibility due to light to moderate rain on Monday morning led to the suspension of helicopter operations in parts of Uttarkashi. The adverse weather conditions also hampered ongoing road repair work, slowing down progress.

According to TOI, a bailey bridge at Limchagaad has been completed, and heavy machinery has been deployed on the damaged stretch between Dabrani and Sonagad.

However, during one such operation, a Pokland machine slipped into the Bhagirathi River while breaking rock to rebuild a road destroyed by the flash flood.

The driver, as per the report, was swept away and remains missing. Authorities concerned have warned that a stream from Kheer Gad, buried under debris up to 50 feet deep, may still be flowing beneath the rubble. The fear is that the water is softening the ground into marsh, making excavation treacherous.

"The mouth of the stream is clogged with rubble, and water may be running underneath, making the soil unstable," inspector general, SDRF, and nodal officer Arun Mohan Joshi was quoted by TOI as saying.