Flash floods in northern India kill at least 4, trapping others under debris
Local television channels showed flood waters surging down a mountain and crashing into Dharali, a Himalayan mountain village in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand state. The flood waters inundated homes, swept away roads and destroyed a local market.
"About a dozen hotels have been washed away and several shops have collapsed," said Prashant Arya, an administrative officer, adding that rescuers, including the Indian army and police, were searching for the missing.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said rescue agencies were working "on a war footing."
"We are doing everything possible to save lives and provide relief," he said in a statement.
India's National Disaster Management Authority said it had requested three helicopters from the federal government to assist in the rescue and relief operations as rescuers struggled to access the remote terrain.
Officials have not provided a figure for those trapped or missing.
India's weather agency has forecast more heavy rains in the region in the coming days. Authorities have asked schools to remain closed in several districts, including Dehradun and Haridwar cities.
Sudden, intense downpours over small areas known as cloudbursts are increasingly common in Uttarakhand, a Himalayan region prone to flash floods and landslides during the monsoon season. Cloudbursts have the potential to wreak havoc by causing intense flooding and landslides, impacting thousands of people in the mountainous regions.
More than 6,000 people died and 4,500 villages were affected when a similar cloudburst devastated Uttarakhand state in 2013.
Experts say cloudbursts have increased in recent years partly due to climate change, while damage from the storms also has increased because of unplanned development in mountain regions.
The flooding in northern India is the latest in a series of disasters that have battered the Himalayan mountains, which span across five countries, in the last few months.
Flooding and landslides as a result of heavy rains and glaciers melting due to high temperatures have killed more than 300 people in Pakistan, reported the country's disaster agency. In 2024 alone, there were 167 disasters in Asia — including storms, floods, heat waves and earthquakes — which was the most of any continent, according to the Emergency Events Database maintained by the University of Louvain in Belgium. These led to losses of over $32 billion, the researchers found.
A 2023 report by Nepal-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development found that glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates across the Hindu Kush and Himalayan Mountain ranges. The study found that at least 200 of the more than 2,000 glacial lakes in the region are at risk of overflowing, which can cause catastrophic damage downstream.
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CBC
4 hours ago
- CBC
Flash floods in northern India kill at least 4, trapping others under debris
Flash floods swept away several homes and shops in northern India, killing at least four people and leaving many others trapped under debris, officials said Tuesday. Local television channels showed flood waters surging down a mountain and crashing into Dharali, a Himalayan mountain village in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand state. The flood waters inundated homes, swept away roads and destroyed a local market. "About a dozen hotels have been washed away and several shops have collapsed," said Prashant Arya, an administrative officer, adding that rescuers, including the Indian army and police, were searching for the missing. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said rescue agencies were working "on a war footing." "We are doing everything possible to save lives and provide relief," he said in a statement. India's National Disaster Management Authority said it had requested three helicopters from the federal government to assist in the rescue and relief operations as rescuers struggled to access the remote terrain. Officials have not provided a figure for those trapped or missing. India's weather agency has forecast more heavy rains in the region in the coming days. Authorities have asked schools to remain closed in several districts, including Dehradun and Haridwar cities. Sudden, intense downpours over small areas known as cloudbursts are increasingly common in Uttarakhand, a Himalayan region prone to flash floods and landslides during the monsoon season. Cloudbursts have the potential to wreak havoc by causing intense flooding and landslides, impacting thousands of people in the mountainous regions. More than 6,000 people died and 4,500 villages were affected when a similar cloudburst devastated Uttarakhand state in 2013. Experts say cloudbursts have increased in recent years partly due to climate change, while damage from the storms also has increased because of unplanned development in mountain regions. The flooding in northern India is the latest in a series of disasters that have battered the Himalayan mountains, which span across five countries, in the last few months. Flooding and landslides as a result of heavy rains and glaciers melting due to high temperatures have killed more than 300 people in Pakistan, reported the country's disaster agency. In 2024 alone, there were 167 disasters in Asia — including storms, floods, heat waves and earthquakes — which was the most of any continent, according to the Emergency Events Database maintained by the University of Louvain in Belgium. These led to losses of over $32 billion, the researchers found. A 2023 report by Nepal-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development found that glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates across the Hindu Kush and Himalayan Mountain ranges. The study found that at least 200 of the more than 2,000 glacial lakes in the region are at risk of overflowing, which can cause catastrophic damage downstream.
CTV News
5 hours ago
- CTV News
A British hiker needed rescuing from the Italian Dolomites. He's now facing a US$16,000 fine
A view of the Nuvolau mountain group is pictured in the Dolomites. A British hiker who had to be airlifted to safety after he ignored signs and crossed warning barriers in the Italian Dolomites is paying a high price for his rescue. (via CNN Newsource) A British hiker who had to be airlifted to safety after he ignored signs and crossed warning barriers in the Italian Dolomites is paying a high price for his rescue. The 60-year-old, whose name has not been made public, was given a bill for €14,225 (US$16,400) to pay for the use of two rescue helicopters and more than a dozen specialized rescuers and support staff when he needed help on Thursday, according to the Veneto Alpine and Speleological Rescue (CNSAS). A week earlier, two Belgian hikers in the same area were handed a far smaller bill for their rescue because they are European Union citizens. The United Kingdom left the EU in 2020. More than 80 people died hiking the Italian Alps and Dolomites between June 21 and July 23, according to the CNSAS, making it the deadliest hiking season this century. Five people remain unaccounted for. Rescue calls have also risen by 20% over last year, which led to the closure of some of the most treacherous routes around Cortina and San Vito di Cadore, where the British hiker was rescued, Maurizio Dellantonio, chief of CNSAS, said at the weekend. 'A 60-year-old English hiker, who had set out that morning from Passo Tre Croci, called to say he was on the Berti via ferrata and that rocks were falling from above,' the CNSAS warned on its social media on Thursday evening, noting that the man did not have equipment to give his precise coordinates. 'Once he had reconstructed his theoretical position, he was told not to move from his sheltered spot and to wait for help to arrive, as the mountain was currently hidden by clouds. To decide on the recovery strategy, the hiker's exact position was needed, so they had to wait for the clouds to clear. When the clouds cleared, the San Vito di Cadore Alpine Rescue team unfortunately discovered that the hiker was right in the center of the landslide, at an altitude of 2,400 meters (nearly 7,900 feet).' After the rescue, first responders with the CNSAS working with Italy's Civil Protection decided to close more trails. 'The operation was made necessary due to hikers neglecting existing signage, which was evidently insufficient to stop people, either due to inattention or an underestimation of the risk,' CNSAS said in a Facebook post. The post shows images of existing signage that clearly says 'closed' in English, Italian and German. 'This measure is intended to protect the safety of those in transit, as well as the rescuers themselves, both the helicopter rescue crews and the teams on foot,' the post continued. Dellantonio said the man passed at least four signs and had to crawl around a barrier and was urged by other hikers at the signposts to turn around and head back with them. The dangerous and deadly conditions across the European Alps this year is blamed on extreme weather, with unpredicted storms sweeping through causing landslides, flash flooding and blizzard-like conditions. Some of the recent rescued people have been hospitalized for hypothermia. Local authorities are warning people to be prepared if they do travel to the area to climb. 'What happened (with the British hiker) warrants some reflection,' Giuseppe Dal Ben, the commissioner of the Ulss 1 health authority in the Dolomites, told reporters at the weekend. 'Helicopters are essential for time-sensitive operations in harsh environments. Precisely for this reason, it is important that they are not used as taxis, endangering not only those who are providing the assistance but those who actually need it.'
Toronto Sun
6 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Flash floods kill at least 4 and trap others under debris in northern India
Published Aug 05, 2025 • 2 minute read This handout photograph taken on Aug. 5, 2025 and released by Uttarakhand's State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) shows muddy water running past residential buildings following a massive mudslide in India's Uttarakhand state. Photo by Uttarakhand's State Disaster Response Force / AFP via Getty Images LUCKNOW, India — Flash floods swept away several homes and shops in northern India, killing at least four people and leaving many others trapped under debris, officials said Tuesday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Local television channels showed flood waters surging down a mountain and crashing into Dharali, a Himalayan mountain village in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand state. The flood waters inundated homes, swept away roads and destroyed a local market. 'About a dozen hotels have been washed away and several shops have collapsed,' said Prashant Arya, an administrative officer, adding that rescuers, including the Indian army and police, were searching for the missing. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said rescue agencies were working 'on a war footing.' 'We are doing everything possible to save lives and provide relief,' he said in a statement. India's National Disaster Management Authority said it had requested three helicopters from the federal government to assist in the rescue and relief operations as rescuers struggled to access the remote terrain. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Officials have not provided a figure for those trapped or missing. India's weather agency has forecast more heavy rains in the region in the coming days. Authorities have asked schools to remain closed in several districts, including Dehradun and Haridwar cities. Sudden, intense downpours over small areas known as cloudbursts are increasingly common in Uttarakhand, a Himalayan region prone to flash floods and landslides during the monsoon season. Cloudbursts have the potential to wreak havoc by causing intense flooding and landslides, impacting thousands of people in the mountainous regions. Over 6,000 people died and 4,500 villages were affected when a similar cloudburst devastated Uttarakhand state in 2013. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Experts say cloudbursts have increased in recent years partly due to climate change, while damage from the storms also has increased because of unplanned development in mountain regions. The flooding in northern India is the latest in a series of disasters that have battered the Himalayan mountains, which span across five countries, in the last few months. Flooding and landslides as a result of heavy rains and glaciers melting due to high temperatures have killed over 300 people in Pakistan, reported the country's disaster agency. In 2024 alone, there were 167 disasters in Asia — including storms, floods, heat waves and earthquakes — which was the most of any continent, according to the Emergency Events Database maintained by the University of Louvain, Belgium. These led to losses of over $32 billion, the researchers found. A 2023 report by Nepal-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development found that glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates across the Hindu Kush and Himalayan Mountain ranges. The study found that at least 200 of the more than 2,000 glacial lakes in the region are at risk of overflowing, which can cause catastrophic damage downstream. — Associated Press writer Sibi Arasu in Bengaluru contributed to this report. Sunshine Girls Opinion Columnists Relationships Sunshine Girls
