When Jai Bhagwan decided to visit a nearby temple for a local naag devta festival late Monday night, he had no idea that decision would save his life.
Hours later, his 40-room hotel in Dharali village, Uttarkashi, was reduced to rubble, carried away by violent flash floods and mudslides that struck the area in the early hours of Tuesday. As Bhagwan stood safe at the temple, the rest of the village faced devastation, with buildings torn apart and entire market areas buried under debris. While the official death toll stands at two, more than 60 people are still missing as massive rescue efforts continue.
Located in Uttarakhand’s picturesque but disaster-prone hills, Dharali village became the latest victim of extreme monsoon weather, as flash floods triggered by incessant rains unleashed a torrent of mud, rocks, and water through its narrow lanes. The deluge arrived without much warning, leaving residents and tourists scrambling for their lives.
Bhagwan, a hotelier who runs a popular multi-storey hotel near the village market, was attending the temple mela around 1:40 am when a loud, thunderous noise pierced the night. “There was a deep rumble, like something tearing through the hills. Then came screams from the village. People were whistling and shouting, but none of us knew what was really happening,” he said. Within moments, a monstrous wave of sludge and rocks surged into the village, swallowing everything in its path.
A temple visit that saved his life
His hotel, located at the heart of the market area, was one of the many structures completely swept away. “I didn’t realize what had happened until much later. I tried to run back to my house, which is only a few metres from the hotel. But by the time I got there, the water had already reached us,” Bhagwan recalled. Realizing the danger, he abandoned the house and made his way on foot to nearby Harsil, a safer location uphill.
Later, when he saw a video of the incident, the enormity of the disaster struck him fully. “In the footage, I saw my hotel being washed away like a piece of paper. It had 40 rooms. I had built it with years of hard work, and within seconds, it was gone.”
Although he escaped the disaster physically unscathed, the emotional impact has been overwhelming. Bhagwan spent the next several hours frantically contacting his family members and staff to confirm their safety. “I was able to reach them until about 4 pm on Tuesday. After that, there was no contact. We still don’t know where many people are.”
Monsoon lull averted larger tragedy
According to Bhagwan, one of the reasons the death toll wasn’t higher was the seasonal lull in tourism. “During the monsoon, the number of visitors drops drastically. Otherwise, during the Char Dham Yatra, my hotel remains fully booked,” he explained. “Thankfully, even my staff and nephew, who usually manage the hotel, weren’t present at the time.”
Most hotels and guesthouses in the village were relatively empty when the floods hit, preventing what could have been a far more deadly incident. Yet, the destruction of property and livelihoods remains immense.
Rescue operations have been difficult due to the scale of the devastation. Officials at the site say that an estimated 50 to 60 feet of silt, rocks, and debris now cover the affected area, forming a quicksand-like surface that makes movement nearly impossible without heavy machinery. The government has confirmed that two bodies have been recovered so far, but hopes of finding many of the missing alive are fading.
As search operations continue, many residents like Bhagwan have been left in limbo-displaced, traumatised, and uncertain of how to rebuild. “We have faced landslides and rains before, but nothing of this scale. The entire market has vanished. It will take years to come back from this, if at all,” he said.
The Uttarakhand government has initiated relief measures, but the sheer scale of damage is likely to demand more extensive rehabilitation efforts in the coming weeks. For now, locals like Bhagwan are grappling with immediate concerns: shelter, safety, and tracing missing loved ones.
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