Uttarakhand: Relief work continues on warfooting in flood-hit Dharali and Harsil

Medical camps have been set up by the state health department, local volunteers, and the Army. We have recovered only one dead body so far and 49 people are missing.

Dehradun: Relief and rescue work is going on on war footing after the devastation caused by cloudburst in Dharali in Uttarkashi on 5 August, reports Dynamite News correspondent.

DM Uttarkashi Prashant Arya

While talking to media, Uttarkashi DM Prashant Arya said that today the target is to evacuate 300 more people. He said that rescue work has been going on through helicopters since morning and so far more than 75 people have been taken to safe places.

Arya said that about 400 people were evacuated from Dharali and Harsil on Thursday.

Prashant Arya said, "Yesterday we evacuated nearly 400 people. And today we aim to evacuate nearly 300 people. The process has begun and we have already evacuated nearly 75 people. Supply of necessary relief materials started yesterday and it is being distributed to the people in Dharali. Community kitchen has been established in Harsil and it will begin in Dharali today."

Talking about the medical facilities and the loss caused by the landslide and flash floods the District Magistrate said, "Medical camps have been set up by the state health department, local volunteers, and the Army. We have recovered only one dead body so far and 49 people are missing. We will assess the loss of agriculture and property today. Road restoration is being done. The CM is supervising the operations, and electricity will also be restored soon. Internet connectivity will also be restored by the end of the day today."

NDRF DIG Chauhan

DIG, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Gambhir Singh Chauhan said that yesterday we evacuated about 400 people and today our target is to evacute at least 300 people.

"Yesterday's operation was extremely successful, in which approximately 400 people were safely evacuated. The operation is ongoing. So far today, about 150 people have been evacuated. If the weather remains favourable today, all agencies will work together to complete this operation," said DIG Chauhan.

Army Statement

In the meantime the Army and the Air Force have intensified rescue work in Harsil. In a statement, an Army official said that 357 civilians have been rescued, with 119 airlifted to Dehradun....

He said that rescue teams on the ground include Army columns, combat engineers, medical units, and specialised Search and Rescue (SAR) dog squads.

CM Dhami In Uttarkashi

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has been camping at the district headquarters in Uttarkashi for the past few days to keep a close eye on the ongoing rescue operations.

In a post on Facebook, he said, "Reviewed the relief and rescue operations going on in Dharali in Uttarkashi this morning."