Uttarakhand Flash Floods: Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP) working president and Baramati MP Supriya Sule on Wednesday said that 24 citizens from Manchar in Pune district are stranded in Uttarakhand after a cloudburst triggered massive flash floods and landslides in Dharali village. Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, Sule urged Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to intervene and help rescue the missing people. She also shared their contact details.
"Twenty-four citizens from Manchar, Pune, Maharashtra, are stranded in Uttarakhand due to the recent cloudburst. Their families are extremely distressed as there has been no contact with them for the past 24 hours. I request Pushkar Dhami and the Chief Minister’s Office to kindly intervene and help rescue them at the earliest," she wrote.
According to a report by news agency PTI, the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) confirmed on Wednesday that 51 tourists from Maharashtra are stranded in Uttarkashi. Out of these, 11 are from Nanded district and the remaining 40 are from other parts of the state. All are reported to be safe. According to the reports, the Maharashtra government is working with the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority and the Uttarkashi District Disaster Management Centre to coordinate evacuation efforts. Assistance is also being provided through Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi to move the stranded tourists to safer areas.
A cloudburst in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district triggered flash floods and landslides on Tuesday, leading to massive destruction in Dharali and Sukhi Top areas. Four people have been confirmed dead and more than 50 are reported missing, according to officials. Rescue operations are underway with teams from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and Indian Army working on the ground.
DIG Mohsen Shahedi of the NDRF said that four deaths have been confirmed so far, while over 50 people remain missing. He added that flash floods were also reported in Harsil and Sukhi Top. Eleven Army personnel are among those missing in Harsil. No deaths have been reported from Sukhi Top. "As per the information received, four people have lost their lives and over 50 people are reported missing. Flash floods were also reported in two places in Harsil and Sukhi Top. Around 11 Army jawans are reported missing in Harsil. There have been no casualties in Sukhi Top... Rishikesh-Uttarkashi Highway is affected, which is why the movement is very slow. Due to road blockage at several places, teams are facing difficulties in reaching the spot. Our teams are ready in Dehradun to airlift the affected people," he said.
Earlier in the day, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami chaired a high-level disaster management meeting at the State Emergency Operations Centre in Dehradun. He also visited the Joshiyada helipad in Uttarkashi and conducted an aerial survey of flood-hit areas to assess the damage and monitor the progress of rescue efforts. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Chief Minister Dhami over the phone and inquired about the situation in the Dharali region. He also reviewed the status of the rescue and relief operations being carried out in the district.
(With inputs from agencies)