Uttarakhand continues to reel under a relentless onslaught of cloudbursts and torrential rains, with the death toll climbing to a staggering 36 in the last 24 hours.
The latest tragedy struck Chamoli district’s Nandnagar block on Thursday, where a ferocious cloudburst is feared to have buried 14 people under a deluge of debris.
Rescue teams have so far recovered one body.
The escalating crisis follows Wednesday’s extreme weather events, which claimed 22 lives, with 18 bodies already recovered.
The state now grapples with widespread destruction, particularly in the already vulnerable Chamoli region.
Nandnagar, nestled along the Nandakini and Chuphalagadh rivers, bore the brunt of Wednesday night’s fury. A catastrophic cloudburst left an entire family and nine other individuals – a total of 14 people – missing, while two have been reported injured.
Residents of Banjarbagad, Moksh Dhurma, and surrounding areas described an “apocalyptic scene” of devastation.
Desperate villagers, managing to contact District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari, pleaded for urgent assessment and relief.
Official information from the State Disaster Management Department confirms the grim reality. From Kuntrilagga fali in Nandnagar, the entire family of Kunwar Singh (42), his wife Kona Devi, and their two sons, Vikas and Vishal, are all unaccounted for.
Deveshwari Devi and Narendra Singh from the same village are also missing.
The tragedy extends to Sarapani village, where 70-year-old Jagdhatha Prasad and his wife, Bhaga Devi, have vanished. In Dhurma village, Guman Singh and Mamta Devi are also among the missing.
Early reports from the disaster operations centre on Thursday revealed the scale of damage. “Heavy rainfall and debris due to the cloudburst have damaged six residential buildings in Kuntrilagga fali, Nandnagar,” stated a spokesperson.
“Ten individuals, including four from a single family, are missing, and two have been rescued.”
Sera village, located by the Moksh River, appears to be the hardest hit. This community was just recovering from a similar calamity on July 8, when Wednesday night’s cloudburst obliterated all progress.
“It felt like the sky fell on us again. We ran for our lives, leaving everything behind,” recounted a distraught resident, describing their harrowing escape.
Residential buildings belonging to Mahipal Singh and Avtar Singh in Sera are in precarious conditions, with floodwaters inundating homes. Houses of Avtar Singh and Pukar Singh are also severely threatened. Up in Dhurma village, several homes are now unsafe, and multiple shops and houses in Bagad Top have been swept away.
Massive debris flows from above the Bagad settlement are believed to have altered the river’s course, causing extensive damage in Sera.
Similar scenes of destruction are reported from Kunti, Phaphali, and Banjarbagad, where several houses are buried under debris.
The disaster has crippled the region’s infrastructure. Power supply was immediately cut off, and vital roads have suffered extensive damage, severing links and halting all movement.
A petrol pump on the Sera road has been engulfed by debris, and with no electricity, mobile networks remain non-functional, further isolating affected communities and challenging relief efforts.
