India: Scores Unaccounted For After Devastating Uttarakhand Flash Floods

A catastrophic flash flood in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district has left at least 66 people missing, including 24 Nepalese workers, 14 locals, and 9 army personnel. The disaster struck Dharali village on August 5, submerging half of the settlement in a muddy torrent from the swollen Kheerganga river.

Video footage captured the monstrous wave obliterating buildings in Dharali and Harsil village within seconds. Rescue efforts have been severely hampered by continuous rainfall, with a blocked highway complicating operations in the popular trekking region near Gangotri.

The Uttarakhand Chief Minister initially blamed a cloudburst, but the India Meteorological Department confirmed that a team of geologists is investigating whether a glacial lake outburst and extreme monsoon rains triggered the disaster. The official missing list includes 19 laborers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, but locals believe the toll is higher.

Fresh rain has caused an artificial lake to refill.