Sixteen residents of Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district have gone missing in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi region after a powerful cloudburst triggered flash floods and landslides earlier this week.
Jalgaon District Collector Ayush Prasad confirmed that 19 people from the district were in the affected Dharali area at the time of the disaster. While authorities have managed to contact three individuals, the remaining 16 are still unaccounted for.
“We are actively coordinating with the Uttarakhand government and Uttarkashi district administration,” said Prasad. “Efforts are underway to locate the missing persons, and we’re receiving full support from the authorities there.”
The cloudburst, which struck the hilly terrain of Dharali on Wednesday (August 6), unleashed sudden and destructive floods, severely damaging infrastructure and cutting off road access in several parts of the region.
Around 190 people have been rescued so far, thanks to a large-scale joint operation involving the Indian Army, Indian Air Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Border Roads Organisation (BRO), and local volunteers.
As of 3 p.m. on Wednesday, official reports confirmed three deaths and approximately 50 people missing in the aftermath of the disaster, according to the Indian Army.
Over 225 Army personnel, including infantry units and engineering teams, have been deployed in the region to conduct rescue, search, and relief missions. Combat engineers are also working to clear debris and restore access routes.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who visited the affected site, stated that the state and central governments are fully committed to helping the victims. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, has spoken with CM Dhami and assured all possible support from the Centre.
Rescue operations are ongoing, and the situation continues to be closely monitored.
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