PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE | Uttarkashi/Dehradun The authorities have recovered six bodies so far and claimed that only 15 people are missing after flash floods struck Uttarkashi’s Dharali on Tuesday afternoon. However, unconfirmed reports suggest that nearly 100 people are missing after the incident. As critical hours pass, rescue teams continue to face major obstacles in reaching the affected areas due to collapsed roads, landslides and continuous rainfall. A key bridge beyond Chadeti has collapsed, cutting off road access to Dharali and nearby villages from the district headquarters. Roads from Dharasu bend and Bhatwadi to Chadeti, Nalu Pani and Gangnani remain buried under debris. No alternative land route is available to reach Dharali at this time. The collapse of the road network has also affected the movement of rescue teams, including NDRF and SDRF units. As per official data on Thursday, around 135 people have been rescued so far, including about 100 from the Dharali side and 35 from below the Harsil Army Gate. Officiating chief secretary RK Sudhanshu said that rescue teams are stranded at multiple points due to road closures. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and Public Works Department (PWD) are working to clear the routes. Bad weather has prevented aerial rescue and supply missions but helicopters are on standby to airlift heavy machinery and teams once visibility improves. The Disaster Management secretary Vinod Kumar Suman confirmed that six bodies have been recovered and about 15 people are officially missing. He added that poor weather conditions continue to obstruct both rescue operations and the deployment of equipment to key locations. Two Chinook helicopters reached Dehradun airport on Wednesday, while an MI-17 helicopter failed to land due to weather and had to return to Sarsawa base in Uttar Pradesh. Attempts to land it again will be made once the weather clears. Five AN-32 helicopters carrying 115 Special Forces personnel have also reached the airport, Suman said. He also informed that various teams are stranded at different locations due to road blockages and road-clearing work is underway on a war footing. Once the routes open, teams will proceed to the ground zero areas. The blocked road at Bhatwadi is being cleared, while roads in Harsil and Papadgad remain shut. The road to Uttarkashi has been reopened. Bridges at Gangnani and Lincha have suffered damage and work to install Bailey bridges is in progress to restore movement. He informed that 79 NDRF personnel remain stranded at Papadgad and 15 have been moved ahead. He stated that UCADA helicopters completed seven sorties on Wednesdays. Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the ground zero site during the first sortie. The second sortie transported the district magistrate and superintendent of police of Uttarkashi. Additional sorties carried 22 personnel, including teams from the district administration, SDRF and NDRF, to the affected site. Besides this, 28 NDRF personnel with two satellite phones also reached Dharali by air, as per Suman. Search operations for the missing continue but as each hour passes without contact or rescue, the outcomes become more uncertain. For those still missing or waiting for help, time is running out.
About The Author
