NEW DELHI: At least 11 Indian Army soldiers are missing after a flash flood triggered by a cloudburst swept through the Harsil area of Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand on Tuesday. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) confirmed the incident on Wednesday as rescue efforts intensified in the affected region.DIG Mohsin Shahidi of the NDRF said, “Eleven army soldiers are reported missing following yesterday’s flash flood in the Uttarkashi region in Harsil.”The Army has launched a large-scale Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operation in response. The area remains cut off from both north and south due to several road breaches and the collapse of a key bridge, complicating access for relief teams.More than 225 Army personnel, including infantry and engineering units, have been deployed on the ground. The teams are carrying out rescue, relief and search operations under difficult conditions. Seven specialised teams are working with Reeco Radar near Tekla to trace those missing.Search and rescue dogs have also been deployed at Harsil to assist in locating trapped or missing individuals. Additional canine units are being brought in from Remount and Veterinary Centres to strengthen the operation.The Army said the region’s isolation and continuous rain have made the task extremely challenging, but efforts are ongoing to bring relief to the affected people and locate the missing jawans.As of now, five people have died, 413 have been rescued, and around 100 remain stranded after a devastating cloudburst triggered massive flash floods and landslides in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district, causing widespread destruction in the Dharali and Sukhi Top areas on Tuesday, reports ANI.
