Cloudburst in Uttarkashi triggers flash floods; several villagers swept away

Flash floods hit Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district, in the Khir Gadh area, on Tuesday (Aug 5) due to a major cloudburst. Reports suggest that several villagers were washed away in the sudden surge of water. Rescue teams have been dispatched tothespot.

Uttarkashi Police in a post on X said, “In Uttarkashi, due to the rising water level of Kheer Gadh in the Harsil area, reports of damage in Dharali have prompted police, SDRF, army, and other disaster response teams to engage in relief and rescue operationsatthesite.”

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Keep away from river, warns police

In its post, the Uttarkashi police have warned everyone to “maintain a safe distance from the river.” “Ensure that you, children, and livestock are kept at a safe distance from the river,” it said, adding that ”reports of damage in Dharali have prompted police, SDRF, army, and other disaster response teams to engage in relief and rescue operations at the site."

Reports suggest that senior officials, including the Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, the Commissioner of Garhwal Division, among others, are monitoring the situation at the State Disaster Operations Centre in Dehradun.

Death toll due to monsoon rises

As per the State Disaster Management Authority's (SDMA) cumulative monsoon damage report, since June 20, 2025, around 192 people have lost their lives due to monsoon-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh. Of these, rain-related disasters like landslides, flash floods, cloudbursts, and drownings caused 106 deaths; during that time, 86 people died in road accidents.
Mandi district recorded the most rain-related deaths at 23, followed by Kangra with 24 and Chamba with 9. Fatalities resulted from landslides (6), flash floods (8), cloudbursts (17), drowning (20), lightning (0), fire (1), electrocution (10), and other rain-related accidents (18). Furthermore, the SDMA has verified that 86 people have died in road accidents, with Mandi (19 deaths) and Shimla (12 deaths) reporting the highest numbers, followed by Kullu (8) and Kangra (6).