Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) [India], August 8 (ANI): Two days after a devastating cloudburst and heavy rainfall in Uttarakhand, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) on Thursday said that 21 more civilians
stranded at Gangotri were evacuated by helicopter from Nelong to Harsil in Uttarkashi district. The BRO, Amit Kumar said, “Our four machines are working in this operation. The Director General of Border Roads and our chief also visited here. At least 20-40 houses are still buried and fully damaged…So far, 150-175 people have been rescued by BRO, ITBP, NDRF, and SDRF. A total of five bodies have been recovered so far…” Earlier in the day, the Uttarakhand government informed ANI that 274 individuals, stranded in Gangotri and other areas, have been safely evacuated to Harshil. The group comprises 131 people from Gujarat, 123 from Maharashtra, 21 from Madhya Pradesh, 12 from Uttar Pradesh, six from Rajasthan, seven from Delhi, five from Assam, five from Karnataka, three from Telangana, and one from Punjab. All are reported safe and are being transported to Uttarkashi or Dehradun. The state has been witnessing heavy monsoon-triggered disruptions, especially in its higher-altitude regions, prompting large-scale evacuation and relief operations led by multiple agencies. Two cloudbursts on Tuesday, one in Dharali and another in the Sukhi Top area near Dharali, caused widespread destruction, with Dharali bearing the brunt. Indian Army, Indian Air Force (IAF), along with ITBP, NDRF, SDRF, BRO, and local volunteers, engaged in a joint rescue and relief operation to search for the missing. So far, while over 50 people are still reported missing, as per the administration. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami today held a meeting with officials from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) at the camp office in Uttarkashi to review the ongoing rescue operation in Dharali. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) DIG Gambhir Singh Chauhan said that helicopter services have been deployed to evacuate those trapped. Multiple agencies, including the Indian Army, NDRF, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and local administration, are coordinating efforts both on the ground and in the air. “We have four teams, but since all the roads have been blocked and damaged, they couldn’t reach Dharali. Yesterday, 35 personnel were able to reach via helicopters. With the helicopter services beginning, the to-and-fro movement of personnel and evacuees has begun. There was a communication issue as well, but since this morning, our satellite phones have been working. State administration, army, ITBP, NDRF, SDRF and even local people are helping each other in the search and rescue operations,” Chauhan said. On Wednesday, around 190 people were rescued from Dharali following a devastating cloudburst that triggered massive flash floods and landslides in the area, with the Indian Army, Indian Air Force (IAF), along with ITBP, NDRF, SDRF, BRO, and local volunteers engaged in a joint rescue and relief operation to search for the missing. The rescue and relief operations in the affected areas are in full swing. (ANI)
