Uttarkashi cloudburst damages Harsil; IAF launches operations

The Indian Air Force IAF has initiated a joint rescue and relief operation in response to a cloudbursttriggered flash flood in Uttarkashis Harsil which has left the region isolated the IAF said in a statement on WednesdayAccording to the Indian Air Force Mi17 helicopters and ALH MkIII aircraft stationed at Bareilly have been placed on high alert Additionally An32 and C295 transport aircraft from Agra have landed in Dehradun to support the mission in the floodaffected areasThe statement read The Indian Air Force has swung into action in response to the flash flood in Harsil which has isolated the valley Mi17s and ALH MkIII at Bareilly are on high alert and An32s C295s from Agra have landed at Dehradun for the mission in the affected areasAir Force stations in Agra and Bareilly were activated overnight to load relief and rescue material and to coordinate with Indian Army personnel for deployment in the rescue missionsDespite dense fog and persistent rainfall hampering flight operations in the morning hours the IAF stated that a brief improvement in visibility is being utilised to conduct sortiesAir Force stations at Agra and Bareilly were activated during the night for loading relief and rescue material along with preparing the IAF and Indian Army for the rescue missions Though the dense fog and rain were restricting flying in the morning the small window of improved visibility is being exploited by the IAF for this joint civilmilitary operation to address the disaster the statement addedEarlier the Indian Army launched a swift and coordinated Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief HADR operation in the wake of a devastating cloudburst near Dharali close to Harsil in Uttarakhand The region is currently cut off from both north and south due to multiple road breaches and a collapsed bridgeAccording to a statement from the Indian Army over 225 Army personnel including infantry and engineering teams are on the ground for search rescue and relief tasks Combat engineers have reached Dharali to aid in clearing debris and restoring mobilityAs of 3 pm seven teams of the Indian Army are operating with Reeco Radar near Tekla while search and rescue dogs are deployed at Harsil more are en route from Remount and Veterinary CentresAs per the Indian Army the military helipad at Harsil is operational Three civil helicopters launched from Sahastradhara in coordination with SDRF have successfully landed at Bhatwari and Harsil for casualty evacuation and relief material deliveryChinook Mi17 and ALH helicopters are on standby at Jolly Grant Chandigarh and Sarsawa for troop and material airlift awaiting tasking clearanceAs of 3 pm there are three confirmed fatalities while over 50 persons are reportedly missing as per the Civil AdministrationAccording to the statement nine personnel are also missing including one Junior Commissioned Officer JCO and eight jawansIn a significant infrastructural damage key road stretches near Bartwari Linchigad and Gangrani have been washed away severely affecting movementThe civil helipad at Dharali remains nonfunctional due to a mudslideMeanwhile Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that around 190 people have been rescued from the Dharali area following a devastating cloudburst that triggered massive flash floods and landslides in the areaThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever