No fewer than 68 people remain missing a week after a powerful surge of icy floodwaters tore through the Himalayan town of Dharali in India’s Uttarakhand state, leaving widespread destruction and a rising death toll.
Authorities confirmed that four bodies have been recovered, bringing the probable number of fatalities from the August 5 disaster to over 70.
Videos captured by survivors showed torrents of muddy water engulfing multi-storey apartment blocks within seconds.
Rescue teams have been combing through the debris for days, searching for victims in the once-thriving tourist town. Gambhir Singh Chauhan of the National Disaster Response Force revealed that sniffer dogs have detected potential burial sites.
However, in some cases, digging has led to fresh gushes of water from underground.
“We are also deploying ground-penetrating radar to locate victims beneath the rubble,” Chauhan explained, describing the operation as both technically challenging and emotionally draining.
Initial reports suggested over 100 people were missing, but damaged roads and disrupted mobile networks slowed verification efforts.
The latest official figures list 68 people still unaccounted for, 44 Indian nationals, 22 Nepalis, and nine soldiers.
Monsoon season floods and landslides are common between June and September, but experts warn that climate change and unregulated development are amplifying their severity.
Environmental analysts have called this latest disaster a “wake-up call” on the dangers of global warming in the fragile Himalayan region.
While the official cause of the flood is yet to be determined, scientists believe it was likely triggered by intense rainfall and the collapse of debris from a rapidly melting glacier.
Himalayan glaciers, which supply water to nearly two billion people, are retreating faster than ever due to rising temperatures.
The thawing of permafrost, they note, increases the risk of catastrophic landslides and flash floods.
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