Uttarkashi Cloudburst Rescue Operation: The Indian Army, Indian Air Force (IAF), along with Uttarakhand Police, ITBP, NDRF, SDRF, BRO and local volunteers intensified their joint rescue and relief operation to search hundreds of missing people, following the cloudburst triggered by flash floods in Uttarkashi’s Dharali region in Uttarakhand on Tuesday. According to the information received from Disaster Control Room Uttarkashi late on Tuesday night, about 500 pilgrims from different states who had come to visit Gangotri Dham were not being contacted. However, the Center has expressed hope of contacting them once connectivity is restored.
24 People From Maharashtra Are Not Being Contacted
Pratap Nagar Tehri Garhwal MLA Vikram Singh Negi said that 24 people from Maharashtra stranded between Uttarkashi and Gangotri are not being contacted. This information has been given by his Maharashtra resident friend Shekhar Chaudhary. Among them, 16 persons are from Jalgaon. 16 persons from Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district remain untraceable, according to Jalgaon Collector Ayush Prasad.
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Providing an update on the situation, Prasad said, “It has been reported that 19 people from Jalgaon district are in Uttarkashi, of which contact has been established with three people. Contact has not yet been made with 16 people.”
He added that both the Maharashtra government and Jalgaon district administration are actively coordinating with the Uttarakhand government and Uttarkashi district authorities to trace the missing individuals.
28-Member Kerala Tourist Group Stuck
According to the authorities, a 28-member group of tourists, natives of Kerala, who had gone missing after the cloudburst. PTI, quoting sources, said they were contected and were safe. A relative of a Kochi-based couple, who were part of the tour group, told reporters here that Defence sources informed them that all 28 tourists were safe.
She said that even the Malayalam Samajam in Uttarakhand confirmed that the tourists were safe but stranded. Of the 28 individuals, 20 are reportedly from Kerala settled in Maharashtra, while the remaining eight are from various districts in Kerala, Ambili told the media in the morning.
190 People Rescued From Dharali
Meanwhile, around 190 people have been rescued from Dharali following a joint relief operation by Indian Army, Indian Air Force (IAF), ITBP, NDRF, SDRF, BRO and local volunteers. The rescue and relief operations in the affected areas are in full swing.
Over 225 Army personnel including infantry and engineering teams are on ground for search, rescue, and relief tasks. Combat engineers have reached Dharali to aid in clearing debris and restoring mobility.
Chief Minister Dhami, who visited the area earlier on Wednesday, reaffirmed that both the Centre and the state government are fully committed to making arrangements for the victims of the incident, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also assured to provide all possible help.
(With agencies inputs)