LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Rescuers were scouring a devastated Himalayan village in northern India to find dozens of missing people, a day after flash floods killed at least four people and left many others trapped under debris, officials said Wednesday.
Flood waters triggered by intense rains gushed down the narrow mountains Tuesday into Dharali, a mountain village in Uttarakhand state, sweeping away homes, roads and a local market.
Teams of army and disaster force rescuers were searching for dozens, including at least 11 Indian army soldiers, who are believed to be trapped under the rubble. Authorities said rescue workers had recovered four bodies by Wednesday.
“The search for others is still underway,” said Dilip Singh, a disaster management official. Singh said at least 60 people have been rescued so far and moved to safer locations, but adverse weather conditions, damaged roads and rugged terrain were hampering rescue efforts.
An Indian army camp in Harsil, some 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) from the flooded village of Dharali, was also hit by flash floods and 11 army personnel were missing, said Col. Harshvardhan, who was leading rescue efforts.
“The conditions are extremely challenging, but our teams are staying put,” said Lt. Col. Manish Srivastava, a defense spokesperson.
The flooding in northern India is the latest in a series of disasters that have battered the Himalayan mountains in the last few months.
Sudden, intense downpours over small areas known as cloudbursts are increasingly common in Uttarakhand, a Himalayan region prone to flash floods and landslides during the monsoon season. Cloudbursts have the potential to wreak havoc by causing intense flooding and landslides, impacting thousands of people in the mountainous regions.
Similar incidents were recorded in Dharali in 1864, 2013 and 2014. More than 6,000 people died and 4,500 villages were affected when a similar cloudburst devastated Uttarakhand state in 2013.
Experts say cloudbursts have increased in recent years partly due to climate change, while damage from the storms also has increased because of unplanned development in mountain regions.
“This village sits on a ticking time bomb,” said geologist S.P. Sati. “It is in a highly fragile zone.”
Uttarakhand, known for its rugged terrain, spiritual pilgrimage sites and popular tourist destinations, has witnessed a growing number of extreme weather events in recent years.
Lokendra Bisht, a local lawmaker who runs a homestay in the area, said people ran for their lives, but the flood waters came so fast that “there was nothing anyone could do.”
“The whole of Dharali village was wiped out,” he said.
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Saaliq reported from New Delhi.
