9 Still Missing After Massive Uttarkashi Landslide Sweeps Construction Site Near Barkot
Cloudburst triggers deadly landslide in Uttarakhand’s Silai Band; Char Dham Yatra halted, rescue operations underway
Uttarkashi, June 29: You could hear the cries long before you saw the wreckage. Somewhere near Silai Band, halfway between Barkot and Yamunotri, the earth simply gave way. One minute, 29 men were at a private construction site, eating, working, waiting for the rain to let up. The next, a cloudburst tore through the mountain, and with it, the land crumbled — leaving only mud, concrete slabs, and the chaos of a landslide that buried them alive.
Locals say the skies started pouring in the early hours — the kind of rain that doesn’t let up. “Pura pahad hil gaya,” said Mohan Singh, a small shopkeeper from nearby Barkot, eyes still wide with shock. “We’ve seen rains before, but never like this. The ground shook, like something from under was trying to rise.”
Nine Still Missing, Two Confirmed Dead
As of now, nine workers are still missing under tons of slush and debris. Rescue workers have pulled out 20 survivors, badly bruised, covered in muck, but alive. Two bodies have also been found — young men, both from outside Uttarakhand, who had come here looking for work and maybe a better future.
“The landslide came without warning,” said a junior SDRF officer, standing ankle-deep in thick mud. “We were told there were workers sleeping in their makeshift shelters when the slope collapsed.” According to reports from The Telegraph India, the search is still on — but the longer it takes, the slimmer the chances get.
Rescue operations are now in full swing. Twenty NDRF teams, backed by SDRF, police, local patwaris, and volunteers, are working non-stop. Heavy machines like JCBs have been brought in from Dehradun and Mussoorie. But progress is painfully slow — the terrain is treacherous, and fresh rainfall keeps washing away cleared paths.
Yatra Halted, Pilgrims Stuck
Meanwhile, the Char Dham Yatra — already walking a tightrope due to erratic monsoon patterns — has been halted for 24 hours. Thousands of pilgrims heading to Yamunotri and Gangotri are now stuck across Tehri, Barkot, and Uttarkashi. Makeshift shelters have been arranged at school buildings and dhabas along the route.
“We were about to cross Barkot when police stopped our bus,” said Sarita Devi, a pilgrim from Kanpur. “We’re staying in a school now, no power, food is basic — but at least we’re safe.”
The local administration has issued an advisory asking people not to proceed until further notice. “Don’t test the gods during rain,” one local cop was overheard saying. It’s advice many are heeding — partly out of fear, partly because there’s simply no way forward.
Red Alert Statewide, Rain Still Pouring
The IMD has sounded a red alert in nine districts, including Uttarkashi, Tehri, Rudraprayag, and Dehradun. The forecast isn’t comforting: two more days of intense rain, with flash floods and more landslides very much on the cards.
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami addressed the media briefly, confirming the deaths and ordering rescue forces to remain “on high alert for the next two months.” He also promised proper arrangements for those stranded. On the ground, though, it’s the locals who are holding things together — feeding pilgrims, guiding rescue teams, and offering shelter.
Development vs. Survival
This part of Uttarakhand knows tragedy. In villages around Barkot, almost every family has lost someone — either to migration, a construction accident, or the yearly wrath of the monsoon. Locals have long questioned the logic of building hotels and roads here without strengthening the slope or respecting the mountain’s rhythm.
“This isn’t just rain,” said Hari Prasad, a retired schoolteacher from Ranachatti. “This is payback. You dig into the hills like they’re your property, and they’ll answer back.”
Interestingly, the site where the workers were buried wasn’t a government project — it was private. And though many such constructions have mushroomed across the route to Yamunotri, monitoring is patchy, and safety measures often exist only on paper.
The Waiting Is the Hardest Part
Tonight, there’s a chill in the air even as the rain slows to a drizzle. Locals, volunteers, and family members of the missing workers are all camped around Silai Band. Most aren’t sleeping. There’s the constant hum of machinery, the crackle of walkie-talkies, and the occasional sob that cuts through the mountain silence.
“Hamare bhai ko nikalo,” shouted one man earlier today, weeping as he clutched a photo in a crumpled shirt pocket. “He just came here for work. He didn’t sign up for this.”
This is Uttarakhand in monsoon — holy land, yes, but also unforgiving terrain where the line between pilgrimage and peril gets thinner every year.
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Ravi Juneja is a student journalist currently pursuing his degree from Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication. With a passion for factual reporting and public interest stories, he covers a wide spectrum of news at Hindustan Herald, including politics, health, technology, entertainment, and global affairs. Ravi is committed to delivering balanced, research-backed journalism with a strong sense of responsibility and independence.
- Ravi Junejahttps://hindustanherald.com/authors/ravi/
- Ravi Junejahttps://hindustanherald.com/authors/ravi/
- Ravi Junejahttps://hindustanherald.com/authors/ravi/
- Ravi Junejahttps://hindustanherald.com/authors/ravi/
