A cloudburst led to flash floods in the high altitude villages of Dharali in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district on Tuesday with several houses damaged or swept away in the raging waters and at least four people killed, officials said. Dharali is the main stopover on the way to Gangotri and home to many hotels, restaurants and home stays. The devastating flashflood came in the wake of a cloudburst somewhere in the catchment area of the Kheer Ganga river. 

At least four people have died, Uttarkashi District Magistrate Prashant Arya told reporters. About 10-12 people could be buried under the debris, said Rajesh Panwar, a villager. He said 20-25 hotels and homestays may have been washed away. Videos from the area showed a torrent of muddy water and silt rushing down the slopes towards settlements along the banks of the river. 

“The news of heavy losses due to cloudburst in Dharali (Uttarkashi) area is extremely sad and painful. SDRF, NDRF, district administration and other related teams are engaged on war footing in relief and rescue operations,” Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said in a post on X. “I am constantly in touch with senior officials in this regard and the situation is being closely monitored,” he said.