DEHRADUN: The peaceful Himalayan village of Dharali in Uttarkashi district has been nearly erased after a suspected cloudburst triggered a deadly flash flood and mudslide. In just hours, the village’s landscape was changed forever.Locals described the disaster as a “deluge of destruction.” Within 34 seconds, the historic village was plunged into chaos. Over the next 25 minutes, the flood precisely destroyed “25 homestays, 35 hotels, and 35 homes, picked out one by one and swallowed by the earth,” said Dharmendra Panwar, whose grocery shop was also washed away.”It was like the mountain itself came down on us,” said a shaken survivor. “One moment we were preparing for the day, the next, everything was gone. We just ran.”Dharmendra Negi, a hotel owner in Dharali, lost his property in the floods. “I don’t know whose evil eye struck us, but the entire village has been uprooted,” he said. However, he remains hopeful, citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “special affection” for Mukhwa. “We have full faith that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami will swiftly compensate for the devastation, and our village will be rebuilt soon,” he added.Chief Minister Dhami announced Rs 5 lakh aid for families who lost homes and for victims’ kin.
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