bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Agence France-Presse

Rescue teams were deployed on Tuesday to India’s Himalayan region after flash floods tore down a mountain valley, appearing to wipe away much of a town, where at least four people were killed.
Videos broadcast on Indian media showed a surge of muddy water sweeping away multi-storey residential buildings in the tourist region of Dharali in Uttarakhand state.
Uttarakhand State Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said rescue teams had been deployed “on a war footing”.
Senior local official Prashant Arya said four people had been killed, with other officials warning that the number could rise.
“Luckily, most of the people were at a fair in a safe location,” said a disaster official who asked not to be named since he was not authorised to speak to the media.
India’s army said its teams had reached the town.


“A massive mudslide struck Dharali … triggering a sudden flow of debris and water through the settlement,” it said.
Images released by the army, taken from the site after the main torrent of water had gone, showed a river of slow-moving mud.
A wide swathe of the town was swamped by deep debris.
In places, the mud lapped at the rooftops of houses.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences to those “affected by this tragedy”.
“No stone is being left unturned in providing assistance to the people,” he said in a statement posted on social media.
Chief Minister Dhami said the flood was caused by a sudden and intense downpour.
“News of heavy damage caused by a cloudburst … is extremely sad and distressing,” he said.

“I am in constant contact with senior officials, and the situation is being closely monitored,” Dhami added in a statement.
“I pray to God for everyone’s safety.”
The India Meteorological Department issued a red alert warning for the area, and recorded “extremely heavy” rainfall of around 21 centimetres (eight inches) in isolated parts of Uttarakhand.
Deadly floods and landslides are common during the monsoon season from June to September, but experts say climate change, coupled with urbanisation, is increasing their frequency and severity.
The UN’s World Meteorological Organization said last year that increasingly intense floods and droughts are a “distress signal” of what is to come as climate change makes the planet’s water cycle ever more unpredictable.


India’s Tata Steel, JSW, and SAIL accused of price-fixing in collusion probe

Singapore’s elite schools spark debate; concern for domestic helpers: 7 Asia highlights

Asian economies to face volatile oil prices over Venezuela, US plans for Caracas

India faces new tariff hikes as Trump demands end to Russian oil imports amid trade talks

India

Deadly flash floods from ‘cloudburst’ in India’s Himalayas kill 4, wipe out town

Muddy water runs past residential buildings following a massive mudslide in India’s Uttarakhand state. Photo: Uttarakhand’s State Disaster Response Force/AFP

Flash floods tore down a mountain valley, appearing to wipe away much of a town in the tourist region of Dharali in Uttarakhand state. Photo: Uttarakhand’s State Disaster Response Force/AFP

Asia must leverage AI to combat rise in natural disasters

A warning sign of a deep water area at a flooded street in Thanh Hoa, Vietnam, on July 22 as Typhoon Wipha hits Asia. Photo: EPA

A damaged kindergarten in a city in Kamchatka Krai, Russia, after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula on July 30. Photo: EPA

Climate chaos is threatening Pakistan’s food security. Can it adapt in time?

Homes and fields are seen submerged in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province after the massive, widespread floods of 2022. Photo: AP

Pakistani villagers walk with their livestock in drought-hit Sindh province in 2014. Depending on the year and season, the South Asian nation grapples with both too much water and too little of it. Photo: AFP

People commute along a waterlogged road in Lahore, Pakistan, on Wednesday following torrential monsoon rains that killed hundreds. Photo: EPA

Groceries for sale at a wholesale market in Karachi on July 16. Pakistan’s food culture has long prioritised immediacy over preservation. Photo: EPA

A Pakistani businessman cleans solar panels installed on the roof of his house in the port city of Karachi last month. Photo: AFP

Deadly floods sever Nepal-China trade, exposing cost of climate-vulnerable infrastructure

China (left) and Nepal (right) are seen divided after the Friendship Bridge, a key connector over the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwagadi, was swept away by floods on July 8. Photo: AP

Rasuwagadi residents inspect damaged vehicles on July 9 after severe monsoon rains flooded the Bhotekoshi River. Photo: AP

A member of the Nepalese army airlifts people stranded during the flood at the Bhotekoshi River in Nepal on July 8. Photo: Nepal Army/Reuters

India school collapse kills 7 children, dozens of others injured

Local villagers rushed to the site and rescued many injured children after part of the roof and walls of a government-run school collapsed in western India. Photo:X Rajkamal Meena

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was deeply saddened by the tragic roof collapse. Photo: dpa

News

Asia

South Asia

A state official from Uttarakhand said rescue teams had been deployed ‘on a war footing’ following the floods


A state official from Uttarakhand said rescue teams had been deployed ‘on a war footing’ following the floods.


Deadly flash floods from ‘cloudburst’ in India’s Himalayas kill 4, wipe out town

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}A state official from Uttarakhand said rescue teams had been deployed ‘on a war footing’ following the floods

A state official from Uttarakhand said rescue teams had been deployed ‘on a war footing’ following the floods