NEW DELHI: Indian officials confirm at least 68 people remain missing a week after a devastating flood buried a Himalayan town in mud.
The disaster on August 5 has likely claimed over 70 lives, including four confirmed fatalities.
Survivors shared videos showing multi-storey buildings collapsing as a wall of icy water engulfed the tourist town of Dharali in Uttarakhand.
Rescue teams are combing through wreckage with sniffer dogs and ground-penetrating radar to locate bodies.
Gambhir Singh Chauhan from the National Disaster Response Force said waterlogged terrain has hampered recovery efforts.
Initial reports listed over 100 missing, but damaged roads and communication networks delayed verification.
Officials now confirm 68 missing, including 44 Indians, 22 Nepalis, and nine soldiers.
Monsoon-related floods and landslides are frequent, but experts blame climate change and unchecked development for worsening impacts.
Scientists suspect intense rainfall destabilised debris from a melting glacier, triggering the deadly surge.
Himalayan glaciers, vital for two billion people, are retreating rapidly due to global warming.
Permafrost thawing is also raising landslide risks across vulnerable mountain regions.
Climate experts call the disaster a stark warning of escalating climate threats.
No official cause has been declared, but glacier melt remains a key focus. – AFP