A week after a devastating wall of icy water and mud swept through the Himalayan town of Dharali, Indian officials said that at least 68 people remain unaccounted for.
This latest figure, combined with the four confirmed deaths, brings the likely overall toll of the August 5 disaster to more than 70.
Rescue teams are continuing their grim search for victims in the wreckage of the tourist town, located in India’s northern state of Uttarakhand. Videos shared by survivors captured the terrifying moment a surge of muddy water tore through the valley, sweeping away multi-story buildings and infrastructure.
According to Gambhir Singh Chauhan of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the search effort has been complicated by the challenging conditions.
Sniffer dogs have identified several potential sites where bodies may be buried, but digging has been hampered by water rushing in.
“When digging started, water came out from below,” said Chauhan, adding that teams are also using ground-penetrating radar in the grim search.
More than 100 people were initially reported as missing. But with roads swept away and mobile phone communications damaged, it has taken rescuers days to cross-check the list.
The local government now lists 68 people as missing, including 44 Indians and 22 Nepalis. Nine soldiers are on the list.
Deadly floods and landslides are common during the monsoon season from June to September, but experts say climate change, coupled with poorly planned development, is increasing their frequency and severity.
Climate change experts warned that the disaster was a “wake-up call” to the effects of global warming.
No official cause of the flood has been given, but scientists have said it was likely that intense rains triggered a collapse of debris from a rapidly melting glacier.
Himalayan glaciers, which provide critical water to nearly two billion people, are melting faster than ever before due to climate change, exposing communities to unpredictable and costly disasters.
The softening of permafrost increases the chances of landslides.