A sudden cloudburst on Tuesday sent a torrent of water, mud and rock crashing into Dharali village in Uttarkashi district of India’s Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, burying houses, hotels and cars under metres of debris. Rescue officials said at least four bodies have been recovered while more than 50 people remain missing; some local counts put the figure closer to 100. The list of the unaccounted includes nine Indian Army personnel stationed nearby and seven civilians. Around 225 soldiers, National Disaster Response Force teams and local police are using earth-moving machines, drones and sniffer dogs to clear rubble and search for survivors. With roads severed by landslides, helicopters on Thursday evacuated about 400 pilgrims stranded on the route to the Hindu shrine of Gangotri. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who called the destruction “massive”, said airlifts would continue if weather allows. Persistent rain, fresh slides and downed power and mobile towers are slowing operations and complicating efforts to drain an artificial lake formed after floodwaters blocked part of the Bhagirathi river. Scientists say the disaster highlights the increasing frequency of extreme weather events in the fragile Himalayan region, a trend they link to climate change.