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A flash flood has caused a devastating torrent of mud to crash through a town in India’s Himalayan region, leaving at least four people dead and around 100 others missing, a minister said on Tuesday.
The powerful surge of muddy water and debris roared down a narrow mountain valley and demolished buildings as it barreled into the town in the state of Uttarakhand.
Videos broadcast on Indian media show multi-storey apartment blocks being swept away, with some residents seen running just before being engulfed.
Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth called the situation “serious” and confirmed the casualties and missing persons.
“We have received information about four deaths and around 100 people missing. We pray for their safety,” he told the Press Trust of India (PTI).
Rescue efforts are underway, with the Indian army deploying 150 troops to the area. So far, they have rescued about 20 people.
According to officials, the mud is up to 50 feet deep in some places, burying entire buildings.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami attributed the flood to a “cloudburst” and has called the destruction “extremely sad and distressing.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences and said, “No stone is being left unturned in assisting.”
Climate experts say that while deadly floods and landslides are common during India’s monsoon season, their frequency and severity are increasing due to climate change and unregulated urbanisation.
Climate activist Harjeet Singh called the disaster a “deadly cocktail” of global warming and reckless development.
