New Delhi: The Army is carrying out a rescue and relief operation after cloudburst hit Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district. Talking to news9Live, Colonel Harshvardhan, who is the Column Commander of the Army rescue team said that all efforts are being made to rescue the people from disaster affected regions.
Colonel Harshvardhan is leading the rescue efforts at Dharali and Harshil. He said that soon after the disaster struck at 1:50 pm, the Army mobilised 2 rescue columns of 150 personnel at the Dharali village. He said that the rescuers had reached the disaster site within 10 minutes of the cloudburst.
The Army officer said that the personnel managed to rescue around 120 villagers. All of the villagers were evacuated from the disaster-hit region and were taken to higher ground. He informed that soon after the rescue operation began, the Army camp was also struck by a flash flood and mudslides at around 3:30 pm.
Colonel Harshvardhan said that the rescue column got cut off, but rescue efforts continued throughout the night. The Army managed to evacuate around 50-60 labourers from the landslides, he added.
Makeshift roads established: Colonel Harshvardhan
Colonel Harshvardhan said that after roads were washed off, the Army managed to establish makeshift crossings to Dharali village on Wednesday morning. Makeshift roads/crossings were also established to Harshil, he said.
The Army officer said that drones were pressed into service to help in the rescue efforts. They managed to locate a dead body through drones and it was retrieved on Wednesday. They are also being used to locate survivors.
The Army plans to press in rescue choppers as soon as water recedes and helipads become usable.
The Army said that they worked with the civil administration/police in the rescue efforts. All rescued people were moved to the Army camp, he said. More than 100 civilians stayed at the Army camp last night and were provided with first aid and hot meals by the Army.
Situation under control: Colonel Harshvardhan
Colonel Harshvardhan claimed that the situation in the region was under control. He said that all the civilians were safe.
The roads are cut off at several places in the region and helipads are inundated due to the flash floods. Currently the region is also cut off due to unavailability of phone lines, after the cloudburst. 5-6 kilometres of roads are also blocked and hence commuting is difficult, according to the Army.
The Army has also brought in a sniffer dog to help with the rescue efforts. Given the fact that the extent of the mudslide is massive, additional Army personnel will be brought in to help with the rescue operations, said the Column Commander.
The Army is creating new mountain trails to reach the affected areas. The normal routes are completely under water and inaccessible.
Colonel Harshvardhan said that no stone would be left unturned to rescue affected people. He said that the Indian Army was always there for its people.
