Race against time: Army searches for missing soldiers after Uttarakhand cloudburst; multiple teams deployed

Two days after a cloudburst struck Harsil in Uttarakhand, triggering massive mudslides and flash floods in the area, nine soldiers of the Indian Army still remain missing, even as search and rescue efforts have been intensified by the Indian Army, civil administration, Indian Air Force, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).

The cloudburst struck the Army camp in Harsil, sweeping away eleven soldiers, two of whom were found hours later after the initial impact.

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Stating that the Indian Army is working on a war footing with all teams engaged in the rescue efforts, Lieutenant General Naveen Sachdeva, Chief of Staff at the Headquarters of Central Command, said the operations are being carried out in complete synergy with the civil administration, Indian Air Force, NDMA, and ITBP.

“As the first responders, our infantry battalion at Harsil swung into action under its commanding officer within 15 minutes of the incident. This was despite some of our own personnel being affected. Since then, additional columns have been deployed. Our special forces from Agra have flown in medical personnel with requisite equipment and accessories aboard AN-32 and C-295 aircraft,” he said.

“Engineers have deployed specialised equipment and task forces, including in coordination with the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), to help restore communication lines. Special equipment and technological gadgets, including ground-penetrating radars, drones, and logistic drones, are being used. Search and rescue dogs have also been inducted, with some airlifted into the area. Rations are being airdropped to provide relief to locals and stranded tourists,” the officer added.

Additionally, engineering regiments have been deployed with specialised machinery to clear communication lines and restore access routes. To amplify the search for the missing and those buried under the debris, the Army has also deployed ground-penetrating radars and surveillance drones, including logistic drones.

“Efforts are also underway to restore critical communication services in the disaster-hit areas. The Army has provided satellite phones, and satellite-based web terminals are being installed to enable limited internet connectivity near the affected sites,” said the Corps Commander.

Meanwhile, the Border Roads Organisation has stated that road connectivity in the affected areas will be restored soon. Sharing details of the work being carried out under Project Shivalik, BRO Director General Lt Gen Raghu Srinivasan said repair efforts are underway in full force to restore connectivity at four major landslide points and a damaged bridge.

“For the past two days, BRO personnel and machinery have been deployed, and efforts are underway to restore road connectivity. We expect the roads to be reopened within a few hours. Bridge stores have already been loaded, and our jawans are ready. As soon as the road connectivity is restored, they will rush to start the construction of the bridge by tonight. We hope to launch the bridge within a day,” he said.

“In the next three days, we will be able to open the road to Harsil and restore connectivity. The road connecting Harsil to Dharali is currently underwater. We can either restore the old road or carve out a fresh one; both options are open,” he added.

Earlier, in a statement, the BRO said that restoration efforts are underway on two critical axes in Uttarakhand, Uttarkashi-Dharasu-Gangotri and Joshimath–Malari, both severely impacted by recent landslides and a devastating cloudburst.

On the Joshimath–Malari Road, Project Shivalik teams have been swiftly mobilised with heavy machinery, working determinedly to restore connectivity despite challenging conditions. Along the NH-34 Uttarkashi-Dharasu- Gangotri axis, slide debris has been cleared at Heena, Tekhla, Netala, Nalupani, and Narendra Nagar. Major clearance operations are in progress at Dharali, where 300 metres of muck is being removed, and at Papadgad (Km 202), where 110 metres of road formation has been washed away and a 60-metre stretch has sunk.

At Limchigad (Km 214.05), an 80-foot bridge has been washed away, and formation breaches have been reported at Km 198. JCBs, excavators, wheel loaders, and tippers have been actively deployed across the affected locations, the statement added.