The Indian army brought Sniffer dogs, drones and heavy motion teams on Wednesday to search for scores that are missing one day after a mortal flood of the Himalayas.
At least four people were killed and around 100 have no account, including 11 soldiers, after a wall of muddy water and rubble destroyed a narrow mountain valley, colliding with the city of Dharali in the state of Uttarakhand.
“The additional columns of the army, together with the tracking dogs of the army, the drones, the logistics drones, the earth teams, etc., have moved … to accelerate the efforts,” said the army today.
Military helicopters were working to bring “essential supplies, medications and (for the woning evacuation,” he added.
Uttarakhand state prime minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, said the flood was caused by an intense “cloud bubble” of rain, and that rescue teams had been deployed “on war foot.”
The videos transmitted in the Indian media showed a terrifying wave of muddy water that swept several -story apartments blocks in the tourist region on Tuesday afternoon.
You could see several people running before being wrapped through the dark waves of the debris that uprooted entire buildings.
Defense Minister Sanjay Seth, told the Press Trust of India (PTI) The news agency on Tuesday night had reports of “four deaths and around 100 missing people.”
‘Extreme event’
The rains of the torrential monsoon continue to spill.
“Residents have been transferred within greater range in view of the increase in water levels due to incessant rains,” added the army.
The government’s weather forecasts said on Wednesday that all the main rivers in Uttarakhand flowed above the danger brand.
The images released by the army, taken from the site after the main torrent had passed, showed a slow mud river.
A large part of the city was flooded by mud, with rescue officials estimating that it was 15 meters deep into places, swallowing some buildings completely.
Mortal floods and landslides are common during the Monzón season from June to September, but experts say that climate change, together with urbanization, is increasing its frequency and severity.
The UN World Meteorological Organization said last year that floods and increasingly intense droughts are a “sign of anguish” of what will come, since climate change makes the planet’s water cycle more and more unpredictable.
Expert hydrologist Manish Shrestha said the 270 millimeters of rain within 24 hours reported in the flooding zone “tells how an extreme event.”
Shrestha, from the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development based in Nepal, said that this rain in the mountains has a “more concentrated” impact than on the flattest lowlands.
“So intense rain events are becoming increasingly common and could be linked to climate change,” he said.
