Sudden and heavy rain caused landslides and flash floods in the Himalayas. The weather service had earlier issued a severe weather warning [1,2,3].
The village of Dharali in the state of Uttarakhand, located in the foothills of the Himalayas in north-eastern India and situated in a tourist region, was particularly affected. It was hit by a massive mudslide [2].
Videos showed muddy water masses sweeping away multi-storey buildings and people. In some places, the mud was up to 15 metres high [2]. The Indian government has reported 4 deaths and around 100 missing persons so far [1]. Army search and rescue teams are still working to missing people [2].
Floods and mudslides are not uncommon in India during the monsoon season from June to September. The rain is important for vegetation and agriculture, but can be life-threatening for humans. Experts believe that climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of floods and landslides [1,3].
[1] Indien: Sturzflut trifft Dorf im Himalaja – vier Tote, 100 Vermisste – DER SPIEGEL (Accessed on 07.08.2025)
[2] Sturzflut löscht offenbar Dorf im Himalaya aus (Accessed on 07.08.2025)
[3] Gewaltige Sturzflut erfasst indische Touristenregion – DW – 05.08.2025 (Accessed on 07.08.2025)
(Image Source: KI-generated with Chat-GPT)