Kathmandu. At least 13 Nepali citizens have gone missing after a flood and landslide in Dharali village on the way to Uttarkashi in the Indian state of Uttarakhand.
Chairman of Kushe Rural Municipality in Jajarkot, Harish Chandra Basnet, has said that at least 13 villagers of the municipality are out of contact after the flood.
The state of Uttarakhand has been witnessing continuous monsoon-induced natural disasters throughout this week. On Tuesday, a sudden major flood hit Dharali village in Uttarkashi district.
Which destroyed and washed away dozens of buildings. The flood has caused great damage to the Ledode village. Among the Nepalis who went missing after the flood, 13 are from the Kushe Rural Municipality area of Jajarkot, Kushe Rural Municipality Chairman Harish Chandra Basnet mentioned this in a statement issued on Thursday.
“At least 13 people from Ward No. 2 of Kushe and some people from other wards have not been able to be contacted since the incident,” he said in the statement.
Chairman Basnet has urged the Nepali government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take diplomatic initiatives for the immediate search and rescue of Nepali citizens missing in the flood-affected areas.
Tuesday’s flood devastated Dharali in just 40 seconds. More than a hundred people were buried in the mud that swept down the mountains.
“Among them were locals and laborers who had arrived from Nepal. Many had opened their homes to travelers due to the Chardham Yatra. Construction was underway in many houses. Seven laborers from Bihar were working next to one house, they did not get a chance to leave,” said Umesh Pal Panwar, an eyewitness to Dharali.
The mud that suddenly rolled down the mountain on Tuesday afternoon damaged the entire Dharali. So far, 5 people have been confirmed dead. More than 100 are still missing. 9 Indian Army personnel have also been swept away. More than 50 houses, more than 30 hotels and resorts, and 25 homestays have been completely destroyed.
Currently, rescue teams are deployed in the area where the mud has accumulated to search for the missing. Even though the water flow has reduced somewhat, the problems of the people of Dharali have not been resolved. The roads leading to Dharali are completely blocked. Water and electricity services are also shut down.