Dharali: The Indian Army has intensified relief and rescue operations in flood and landslide-affected areas of Dharali and Harshil in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district, where over 100 civilians, including eight soldiers from the 14 Rajputana Rifles, remain missing following a devastating cloudburst earlier this week.
So far, more than 357 civilians have been rescued through coordinated air and ground operations involving the Indian Air Force, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Border Roads Organisation (BRO), and local authorities.
The cloudburst triggered flash floods on Tuesday, inundating the entire Dharali village and leaving several feared dead or missing. Officials described it as one of the worst natural calamities in the region since the 2013 Kedarnath tragedy.
The Indian Army has deployed over 225 personnel, including special combat engineers, RICO radar units, and sniffer dog squads, to assist in the operations. A senior army officer from Harshil, where the central command post is located, said, “Despite the weather constraints, our teams are working day and night to reach out to every stranded person.”
Dharali remains cut off due to landslides and extensive road damage. However, the road to Limchigarh has been cleared, and engineers are working to make a bailey bridge operational. The bridge is expected to be functional by tonight, which will help restore land connectivity to the region.
