Scope of Uttarkashi disaster becomes clearer: Over 60 estimated missing, rescuers race against time & wall of debris

Defence PRO Lieutenant Colonel Manish Srivastava said that Indian Air Force and Army helicopters for essential supplies, medicines and evacuation of the marooned are also being coordinated. The residents have been moved to higher reaches in view of rising water levels due to incessant rains.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also visited the disaster-hit site and met villagers during the day.

Dharali is situated at the confluence of Kheer Ganga, a tributary, and river Bhagirathi. The cause of the flood remains unknown, with IMD data ruling out a cloudburst. A scientist at Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology said that while it’s unclear until a site visit is undertaken, a glacial lake outburst flood might have resulted in the sudden rise in water levels and the subsequent debris slide.

Houses being swept away in a flash flood at Dharali, in Uttarkashi district. (Photo: PTI)

Having rushed to safety in Harsil, Jai Bhagwan, a hotelier, said that on Tuesday, he was at a temple nearby for a festival commemorating the naag devta. Some distance away from the market, the temple was one of the structures unharmed in the floods. Around 1.40 am on Tuesday, Bhagwan was attending the mela when a commotion was heard. “First, there was a thunderous sound, and then I heard people screaming from the village nearby. They were whistling too, but we were clueless. Then came massive waves of mud, water, and rocks,” he recalled.

Bhagwan’s four-storey hotel was one of the structures swept away in the deluge. “We did not immediately understand what was happening. I tried to rush to my home, some metres away, but in 20 minutes, the water reached our house,” Bhagwan said. He later rushed to Harsil on foot.

He saw the video much later, and the magnitude of the incident dawned on him. “In the video, my hotel is seen being washed away. It was a 40-room hotel, but it flowed away like a leaf,” he said.

He spent the next few hours after fleeing from Dharali calling his family members, ensuring their safety. “I could contact them till 4 pm on Tuesday, after which they became unavailable,” he said. Bhagwan said that most hotels were empty due to the lull in tourism in the monsoon season, and the market had fewer people on the day the tragedy struck. “In other months, my hotel is completely booked when the Char Dham yatra is going on. Even my staff and nephew, who manages the hotel, were not present, fortunately,” Bhagwan said.

Rescuers say there is 50-60 feet of muck, almost like quicksand, at the site, which is near-impossible to move without heavy machinery.

The Commandant of the State Disaster Response Force, Arpan Yaduvanshi, said that the communication with their ground team has been patchy as they are relying entirely on satellite phones. “This gets worse due to deteriorating weather. Though we have dispatched four helicopters, one has reached Harsil helipad, and the supplies with six personnel will reach Dharali on foot, four kilometres away,” he said.

Chinook and Mi-17 are on standby in Chandigarh and Sarsawa. The Chinook, a heavy-lift tandem-rotor helicopter known for its transport capabilities, is designed to carry large loads, including up to 55 troops and a cargo of up to 10 tonnes. A mini excavator can be transported by such choppers.

Yaduvanshi, who supervised the Uttarkashi tunnel collapse, said that though it was a difficult task, due to the terrain and fragility of the rock, there was optimism in that operation because they could establish a connection with the people stuck inside.

“However, though the scale could be called somewhat similar, the absolute blackout of information from under the debris this time is concerning. Technically, the tunnel collapse proved challenging, but the obstacle here is the inability to press technology and manpower into service,” he said.

On the floods that have resulted in loss of life and property damage in parts of Pauri Garhwal and Chamoli, falling in his constituency Garhwal, MP Anil Baluni said that he has directed all District Magistrates to ensure that assistance is provided to the affected people and to restore damaged roads as quickly as possible.

Rivers in spate

Uttarakhand’s major rivers have breached the danger levels in various areas:

• According to the Central Water Commission, as of 6 am on Wednesday, river Alaknanda in the Ganga basin at Rudraprayag was flowing at a level of 627.6 metres, which is 0.60 metres above its danger level of 627 m.
• Mandakini in Ganga basin at Gaurikund in Rudraprayag district continues to flow at a level of 1976.8 m, breaching the danger level. This is 0.55 m below its previous high flood level of 1977.35 m which struck Uttarakhand in June 2013.
• River Mandakini in Ganga basin at Rudraprayag flowing at 626.3 m is 0.30 m above its danger level of 626.0 m.
• River Bhagirathi in Ganga basin at Devprayag is flowing at a level of 464.3 metres, which is 1.30 m above its danger level of 463.0 m.