Scores Still Missing a Week After Devastating Flash Floods in Uttarakhand, India

A week after catastrophic flash floods and a mudslide struck Dharali village in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district on August 5, 2025, at least 66 people remain missing, according to an official statement. The disaster, triggered by heavy rainfall, has left only one confirmed death so far, revising earlier reports of four fatalities.

The floods, which swept through Dharali—a popular tourist destination—submerged nearly half the village under water and debris, destroying homes, hotels, and an army camp nearby. The Kheerganga River’s swelling sent torrents of muddy water crashing through the hilly terrain, covering roads, buildings, and shops in Dharali and neighboring Harsil village. Videos captured a massive wave of water obliterating structures, leaving residents little time to escape.

Rescue operations, involving the Indian Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), have been hampered by relentless rains and a blocked key highway. Around 1,300 people have been rescued from the area since last week, with helicopters deployed to reach the debris-choked village and a temporary bailey bridge constructed to aid access. Vinay Shankar Pandey, a senior local official, reported that the missing include 24 Nepalese workers, 14 locals, nine army personnel, and 13 and six individuals from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, respectively. However, locals claim the number of unaccounted-for individuals may be higher. A team of 10 geologists has been dispatched to investigate the cause of the floods, initially attributed to a cloudburst, though India’s Meteorological Department has not confirmed this. The floods also created an artificial lake by blocking the Bhagirathi River, submerging vast areas, including a government helipad. Efforts to drain the lake are ongoing, complicated by renewed rainfall. Rescue teams are using sniffer dogs, drones, victim-locating cameras, thermal imaging, and earth-moving machinery to search for survivors, with manual digging at a hotel site where people were last seen. On Monday, a road-repair machine and its driver were swept away by the swollen Kheerganga River, adding to the challenges. The India Meteorological Department has forecasted heavy rains and thunderstorms across Uttarakhand, including Garhwal, until August 14, with high alerts issued for eight districts. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has been closely monitoring the situation, coordinating rescue efforts, and ensuring evacuations to safer areas. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences and assured that “no stone is being left unturned” in providing assistance. Survivors described harrowing experiences. One victim told ANI, “Our house got washed away. Everything is gone. We just ran to save our lives.” Another resident, Upendra, involved in rescue efforts, said, “There was no possibility of anyone surviving here. The place was completely covered with debris.”

The disaster underscores the vulnerability of India’s Himalayan region to extreme weather events, which experts link to climate change. A similar flash flood in 2023 killed at least 47 people in India’s northeast.