Dehradun, Aug 07: As rescue operations in the flash floods-ravaged Uttarkashi entered the third day on Thursday, the Army said 70 people have been rescued so far and more than 50 are missing.
According to officials, at least four people have been killed in the disaster that struck the ecologically fragile area on Tuesday afternoon. Rescuers recovered two bodies on Wednesday, but it was not clear if these were among the four deaths reported the previous day.
The district administration said 65 people who were stranded at different locations were airlifted to Matli town, 432 km from here, on Thursday.
Efforts were also stepped up to airlift advanced equipment to the worst-hit Dharali village to speed up the search for those trapped under the rubble, officials said.
The Indian Army said its troops reached Dharali within 15 minutes of the tragedy. It ramped up Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations in the Himalayan village and nearby Harsil. The region remains cut off due to multiple landslides and road breaches.
Seventy civilians have been rescued so far and more than 50 are missing, the Army said in an official release issued here.
Nine Army personnel — one junior commissioned officer and eight jawans — are also reported missing, it said.
Nine Army personnel and three civilians were evacuated to Dehradun by helicopter. Three critically injured civilians were shifted to AIIMS Rishikesh and eight were admitted to the Uttarkashi district hospital, it added.
Road access is severely disrupted at multiple locations, including Bartwari, Linchigad, near Harsil, Gangnani and Dharali. Civilian and military teams are working round the clock to rescue stranded people, provide relief and restore connectivity, the Army said.
The military helipad in Harsil and another in Nelong are operational and connected by road to Gangotri, enabling convenient movement of tourists. A civil helipad in Dharali remains non-functional due to a mudslide.
According to the Army, more than 225 troops, including engineers, medical teams, and rescue specialists, are on the ground. Search and rescue dogs have also been deployed.
One Reeco Radar team is in Tekla village and another Reeco Radar is being inducted for further deployment, the release said.
Chinook and Mi-17 helicopters are waiting at the Jollygrant airport in Dehradun and are likely to commence evacuation of civilians from Thursday if the weather improves, it said.
Five civil helicopters from Sahastradhara have been operating between Matli, Bhatwari and Harsil for the rescue operations in coordination with the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF).
An ad hoc aviation base is being set up at the Matli helipad.
Approximately 180-200 tourists stranded in Gangotri are being provided food, shelter, and medical support by the Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), the release said.
An action plan has been prepared for the next 24-48 hours. It includes airlifting para troops and medical teams to Harsil by Chinooks and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel and medics to Nelong by Mi-17 helicopters, road opening ahead of Uttarkashi and Tekla, and evacuation of tourists from Nelong helipad on return sorties.
Addressing a press conference, Lt Gen Navin Sachdeva, Chief of Staff, Central Command, said, “As first responders, our infantry battalion at Harsil reacted under the commanding officer in 15 minutes of the incident. This was despite some of our personnel themselves being affected. Since then, additional columns have been deployed.”
“Our Special Forces from Agra in AN 32 and C 295 aircraft have been flown (in) and medical personnel with all required equipment and accessories have been moved,” he said.
Rations are being airdropped for the locals and stranded tourists, he said.
A team of 69 NDRF rescuers, two cadaver dogs and veterinarians joined the rescue operations in Dharali, a senior officer of the federal contingency force said.
Apart from the cadaver dogs, who will help find the dead, the NDRF has four sniffer dogs who can detect survivors, the officer said.
Earlier in the day, the district administration said 65 people, including tourists, who were stranded at various places in Uttarkashi district have been shifted to Matli by helicopter.
Buses have been arranged to send them to their respective destinations, the officials said.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who is camping in Uttarkashi to monitor the rescue operations, interacted with some of those rescued in the buses.
He also met some of the injured at a hospital in Uttarkashi.
The CM also held a meeting with Border Roads Organisation (BRO) officials and took stock of the rescue operations in Dharali.
Those brought to Matli include pilgrims from various parts of the country who were stranded on the way to Gangotri following Tuesday’s flash floods. They thanked the Army, the state government and locals for providing them shelter and supporting them in every way.
One of the rescued tourists, Bhupendra Singh Mehta, recalled how the flash floods washed away everything in sight.
“We were asleep when the flash floods hit. We woke up to people shouting, ‘run, run’. Everything around our homestay was washed away and the debris had come up to our window on the second floor. We jumped from the second floor and managed to crawl to a bridge and save ourselves,” he said.
Mehta sought shelter at an Army camp, where he was provided food and clothing.
Another rescued tourist, Chandan, said, “We saw people buried under the debris at 15-20 locations.”
NDRF, SDRF, Army, ITBP, police and other related agencies are involved in the relief and rescue operations.
SDRF IG Arun Mohan Joshi said, “Our priority today is to airlift advanced equipment to the spot. Our teams coming with advanced equipment on Wednesday were held up due to blocked roads.”
There are 50 to 60-ft-high mounds of debris and those missing may be trapped under them, he said.
Landslides have blocked arterial roads leading up to Dharali, where dozens of people were trapped and many homes and cars swept away by the raging waters on Tuesday.
The advanced equipment will help rescuers dredge through the huge volume of rubble in search of the missing.
Besides locals and tourists, the missing may include labourers as several hotels were under construction at the site of the flash floods.
Dharali is the main stopover on the way to Gangotri, from where the Ganga originates, and is home to several hotels and home stays.
