A 28-member group of tourists from Kerala has gone missing after the cloudburst in Uttarakhand triggered a massive slide and flash floods on Wednesday.
According to the relatives, cited in a PTI news agency report, the group was leaving from Uttarkashi to Gangotri at around 8:30 in the morning.
Several people have gone missing after a cloudburst triggered flash floods in the Dharali area of Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand on Tuesday. The huge torrent swept away houses, hotels, and homestays that lay along the Gangotri pilgrimage site.
Of the 28 individuals missing, 20 are reported to be from Kerala settled in Maharashtra, while the other eight are from different districts in Kerala, a relative of one of the couples told PTI.
She also said that she talked to them a day ago, in which the couple said they were leaving Gangotri. The landslides have occurred along the same route, and the relatives are now unable to contact them. “We have been unable to contact them since they left,” she said.
The couple went through a Haridwar-based travel agency that organised the 10-day Uttarakhand tour, but now even they are unable to provide any updates.
“Their phones may have run out of battery by now. There is no mobile network in that region currently,” the report quoted her as saying.
Uttarkashi cloudburst
The cloudburst that took place on Tuesday afternoon struck Dharali, an ecologically fragile region, and has so far claimed the lives of at least 4 people. As per officials, nearly half of Dharali has been buried under the massive mudslide of debris, slush, and water. Dharali is a popular stop on the route to Gangotri, the origin of the Ganga, and hosts several tourists every year.
Meanwhile, nine Indian Army personnel were also missing after the devastating flood in the Kheer Ganga river that led to the destruction. Rescue efforts are now underway, and 150 personnel led by Col Harshvardhan, Commanding Officer of 14 RAJRIF, are engaged in critical relief operations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took note of the incident and spoke to Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. In an X post, PM Modi informed that the state government is supervising the relief teams and every possible effort is being made to assist people.
