Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the Matli Helipad in Uttarkashi district on Thursday, where he met people who had been airlifted from the flood-hit Dharali village. These evacuations were part of a joint rescue operation carried out by ITBP, NDRF, SDRF, and the local authorities.
The Chief Minister spoke to the rescued individuals and assured them of full support from the state government. He also interacted with rescue teams preparing for further operations in the area.
According to state officials, the rescue efforts began early in the morning. By 9:30 am, 44 people had been rescued from Dharali and Harsil and brought to Matli by ITBP helicopters. They are now being moved to safer places, where they are receiving medical care and shelter. Among them was an injured person who was given immediate medical help.
In Rudraprayag district, the Kedarnath Yatra had to be suspended due to continuous heavy rainfall. Police and SDRF teams helped pilgrims returning from the shrine and safely cleared the blocked route between Gaurikund and Sonprayag.
Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Anand Vardhan is monitoring the situation closely from the State Emergency Operations Centre. The state is facing major monsoon-related disruptions, especially in higher-altitude regions, prompting large-scale evacuation efforts.
Earlier on Thursday, NDRF DIG Gambhir Singh Chauhan confirmed that helicopter services have been activated for rescue those trapped. He said Indian Army, NDRF, ITBP and local administration are working together on the ground and in the air to carry out rescue operations.
"We have four teams, but since all the roads have been blocked and damaged, they couldn't reach Dharali. Yesterday, 35 personnel were able to reach via helicopters. With the helicopter services beginning, the to-and-fro movement of personnel and evacuees has begun. There was a communication issue as well, but since this morning, our satellite phones have been working. State administration, army, ITBP, NDRF, SDRF and even local people are helping each other in the search and rescue operations," he further said.
Drone footage from Bhatwari showed severe road damage caused by cloudbursts and landslides, which delayed rescue operations in the early hours.
Many survivors, including pilgrims headed to Gangotri, shared their experiences and thanked the rescue teams for their timely efforts. Arohi Mehra, a tourist from Jalgaon, said, “I was very scared when all of this happened. The villagers helped us a lot. We got a lot of strength when we saw our jawans of the Indian Army.”
Another tourist, Rupesh Mehra, also from Jalgaon, shared how they were rescued by helicopters after roads were blocked. “Roads have been blocked there. We were rescued with helicopters. We got a lot of help from all the agencies deployed there, and we were taken out from there,” he said.
Anamika Mehra, who was in the same group, recalled, “When the incident took place, we were near Dharali. We were on our way to Gangotri for darshan... The next day, the entire country was there to support us. All the teams reached there to rescue us. I want to thank the Indian Army and the Uttarakhand Police. I want to salute the Uttarakhand government for providing us with heli service immediately and rescuing us.”
On Wednesday, around 190 people were rescued from Dharali after a cloudburst caused flashfloods and landslides. The Indian Army, Air Force, ITBP, NDRF, SDRF, BRO, and local volunteers are all involved in ongoing search and rescue operations.
Rescue and relief work is still underway in full force.
Follow us
