Aug 7, 2025: On Thursday, efforts were intensified to airlift cutting-edge equipment to the flood-ravaged Dharali village in order to speed up the search for those buried beneath the rubble and rescue pilgrims stranded in the district because of broken and blocked roads. "Our priority today is to airlift advanced equipment to the spot. State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) IG Arun Mohan Joshi stated, "Our teams coming with advanced equipment on Wednesday were held up due to blocked roads." He stated that there are debris mounds that range in height from 50 to 60 feet, and the missing may be entrapped beneath them. The advanced equipment will help rescuers dredge through the huge volume of rubble in search of the missing.

The rescue of pilgrims stranded in various locations due to blocked roads is another top priority. Their number could be 300-400, Joshi said.
Besides locals and tourists, the missing may include labourers as several hotels were under construction at the site of the flash floods.
On the way to Gangotri, where the Ganga originates, Dharali serves as the primary stopover and is home to numerous hotels and home stays. Ground-penetrating radars and sniffer dogs are also likely to be used to trace the missing, the officials said.

Rescuers recovered two bodies on Wednesday.

Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami is camping here to closely monitor rescue operations, which would gain momentum when the weather improves and the blocked roads are opened.

Landslides have blocked arterial roads leading up to Dharali, where dozens of people were trapped and many homes and cars swept away in the flash floods triggered by a cloudburst on Tuesday. Among the missing are eleven Army personnel from a nearby camp in Harsil.