Indian helicopters rescue people stranded by flooding in Himalayan state

Indian rescue teams deployed helicopters on Thursday to evacuate people stranded by floods in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, nearly 48 hours after sudden flooding and landslides left four dead and many still unaccounted for.

Access to the village of Dharali in Uttarkashi district, a popular tourist area, was cut off due to collapsed roads and massive boulders, after a surge of floodwater swept through, engulfing homes and vehicles in thick sludge.

State chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said helicopter crews had been briefed to carry out the rescue operation efficiently.

“The heli-rescue operation began this morning in the affected areas,” he said on X.

Footage from the region showed army personnel removing boulders by hand and with machinery, working through roads turned into torrents of mud and water.

According to army and state officials, around 200 people were rescued on Tuesday and Wednesday, though many are still believed to be trapped or missing.

Dharali, a small village of roughly 200 residents located more than 1,150 metres above sea level, serves as a rest stop for Hindu pilgrims on their way to the sacred town of Gangotri.

“We saw Dharali being swept away before our eyes,” said Anamika Mehra, a pilgrim en route to Gangotri when the disaster struck.

“We were terrified, but the locals helped us, and the army arrived the next day to rescue us,” she told ANI news agency.

Uttarakhand frequently experiences floods and landslides, phenomena that experts say are increasingly linked to climate change.

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