Uttarkashi Flash Floods: Bad Weather Halts Chopper-Led Ops In Dharali, Over 1,200 Rescued So Far

Uttarkashi: Search and rescue operations in the flood-ravaged Dharali in Uttarkashi entered their seventh day on Monday as teams are working day and night, expediting evacuation measures to shift those stranded to safer places.

The district administration has banned the flying of drones in the region in order to avoid disruption to helicopter operations and ensure choppers fly without any interference. However, helicopter-based rescue is currently put on hold in Dharali owing to bad weather.

As of 3 PM on Sunday, as many as 177 people were airlifted from disaster-hit areas by deploying helicopters. Sources said 79 people were shifted to ITBP Matli, and 53 were taken to Chinyalisaur airstrip. Around 1200 people have been rescued so far.

Despite the prevailing weather conditions, the Army personnel, along with the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), have constructed a 90-ft Bailey Bridge, assembled with pre-built parts, along the Gangotri National Highway to restore connectivity between Gangnani and Harsil, officials said.

The Gangotri NH is still blocked or damaged at several places. Clearing of debris is underway on a war footing, and it is likely to be fully operational by Tuesday or Wednesday, CM Pushkar Singh Dhami told reporters in Dehradun. Notably, the highway has been blocked at Songad, Dabrani and Harsil.

IMD Alert

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert after a forecast suggested rainfall across Uttarakhand during the day. A red alert has been issued for heavy to very heavy rain over the next few hours in Almora, Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital, Pauri and Udham Singh Nagar districts.

An Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) official in Dharali said the rescue teams comprising NDRF, police, fire and SDRF personnel are manually digging through the debris where a hotel stood before the disaster hit.

As per official sources, teams of 15 Battalion NDRF deployed are undertaking Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) under the supervision of NDRF Commandant Sudesh Kumar and in the presence of the local MLA and District Collector.

Meanwhile, the state government has released the list of missing people. "A list of 43 persons has been released, which includes 13 locals, nine military personnel, 13 from Bihar, six from Uttar Pradesh and two others. The number of missing Nepali workers has come down from 29 to 24 as five people have already been traced," Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey said.

On the other hand, a Nepali resident, Lalmani Adhikari, has finally been reunited with his son, missing since the disaster struck, by the police.

Also Read:

1. Uttarkashi Flash Floods: ETV Bharat First To Bring Voices From Ground Zero In Dharali
2. As Dharali Struggles To Regain Normalcy, ETV Bharat Helps A BRO Worker Get Reunited With His 26 Associates