Uttarkashi Cloudburst: A 28-member group of tourists from Kerala has gone missing after a cloudburst in Uttarakhand led to massive flash floods in Uttarkashi on Tuesday. The family members stated that any communication could not have been established with the tourists since the cloudburst, reported PTI. A relative of one of the missing tourists informed that while 20 have settled in Maharashtra, the other 8 tourists belong to several districts of Kerala. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami stated that the security teams have arrived at the site, adding that the missing people are being traced.
Uttarkashi Cloudburst: 28 Kerala tourists missing
While providing details, the relative of one of the tourist couples stated that the landslide occurred while the tourists were travelling from Uttarkashi to Gangotri. “They said they were leaving from Uttarkashi to Gangotri at around 8.30 am that day. The landslides occurred along that route. We have been unable to contact them since they left,” she was quoted as saying by PTI.
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She further stated that the Haridwar-based travel agency, which arranged the tour, is also not able to contact the missing tourists, adding that there is no mobile network in the affected regions. “Their phones may have run out of battery by now. There is no mobile network in that region currently,” she asserted. The flash floods have caused a panic among the locals and the tourists, as several individuals still remain missing.
150 individuals rescued from Uttarkashi: Officials
The officials stated that the bodies of five people have been recovered so far, adding that around 150 people have been rescued from Uttarkashi and nearby regions. Earlier on Tuesday, flash floods struck the ecologically fragile area following a cloudburst in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi on Tuesday afternoon, leading to the casualties.