An incident of cloudburst was reported late Friday night in Tharali tehsil of Chamoli district, leaving behind widespread destruction and at least two people missing, officials said.
Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari confirmed heavy damage in the area.
“There is a possibility of a lot of damage due to the cloudburst in Tharali. Many houses, including the SDM residence, have been completely damaged,” he said.
Uttarakhand Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman informed that district officials and relief teams had rushed to the spot. Chamoli ADM Vivek Prakash said a 20-year-old woman named Kavita was buried under debris, while another person, identified as Joshi, is still missing. Relief camps have been set up to assist affected families.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had already issued an orange alert for heavy rainfall and thunderstorms across multiple districts of Uttarakhand, including Chamoli, Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri, Rudraprayag, Nainital, Almora, and Udham Singh Nagar, between August 22 and 23.
The latest incident follows a series of extreme weather events in the region. On August 17, a cloudburst in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district triggered flash floods, causing severe damage and casualties. The Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured full central government support in managing relief and rescue operations there.
Meanwhile, search operations continue in Kishtwar, J&K, where several people remain missing after another cloudburst and flash floods earlier this month.
