Rescue Operations Gather Pace in Uttarkashi; 274 Rescued, Over 60 Still Missing

CM Dhami meets people affected by disaster

PTI, DEHRADUN, AUG 7, 2025 :  Rescue operations gathered pace on Thursday in the disaster-hit Dharali village in Uttarkashi as weather improved and more than 270 people stranded in different locations in the district were evacuated to safety with the help of IAF's Chinook and Mi-17 helicopters.

The Army said 50 civilians are missing besides nine of its personnel, including one junior commissioned officer. However, eyewitnesses said the number of missing persons could be even higher.

According to officials, at least four people have been killed in the disaster that struck the ecologically fragile area on Tuesday afternoon. Rescuers recovered two bodies on Wednesday, but it was not clear if these were among the four deaths reported the previous day.

With a let-up in rain and improvement in weather conditions, helicopters made several sorties during the day to evacuate people who had taken refuge in army camps and neighbouring villages after the disaster. A team of 69 NDRF rescuers, two cadaver dogs, and veterinarians joined rescue operations to look for survivors.

"This is a big disaster and the analysis of the damage is going on. The roads connecting Uttarkashi have been badly damaged. However, our teams are working in the affected areas to rescue the victims," NDRF DIG Gambhir Singh Chauhan told news agency PTI.

A total of 274 people have been brought to Harsil, Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman said. Uttarkashi District Magistrate Prashant Arya said 275 people from Harsil, Gangotri, and Jhala have been sent to Matli helipad, from where they are being sent to their respective destinations. These include people from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Assam, Karnataka, Telangana, and Punjab, he said.

One of the rescued tourists, Bhupendra Singh Mehta, recalled how the flash floods washed away everything in sight. "We were asleep when the flash floods hit. We woke up to people shouting, 'run, run'. Everything around our homestay was washed away and the debris had come up to our window on the second floor. We jumped from the second floor and managed to crawl to a bridge and save ourselves," he said.

Another rescued tourist, Chandan, said: "We saw people buried under the debris at 15–20 locations."

Garhwal division's Inspector General of Police Rajeev Swaroop said 35 people were brought to the Jolly Grant airport from the disaster-affected areas of Uttarkashi in a Chinook helicopter this afternoon.

Heavy rain in Uttarkashi over the past few days hampered search and rescue operations. Many roads in the district are still blocked or broken by landslide debris at several points. Efforts were also stepped up to airlift advanced equipment to the worst-hit Dharali village to speed up the search for those trapped under the rubble, officials said.

The Indian Army, in close coordination with other authorities, ramped up Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations in Dharali and nearby Harsil. The region remains cut off due to multiple landslides and road breaches. A VSAT equipment was airlifted to Matli, which has to be installed in Harsil to improve internet connectivity in the area.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who is camping in Uttarkashi since Wednesday to keep a close eye on the rescue operations, on Thursday met women whose loved ones are missing after the disaster. "I met the sisters affected by the Dharali disaster and felt the pain hidden in their tears. I salute their courage in this difficult time," he said in a post on Facebook.