Uttarakhand, the mountainous northern state that hosts Dharali, has been devastated by cloudbursts before. A June 2013 cloudburst killed over 6,000 people in Uttarakhand and surrounding states, becoming the country's worst natural disaster in ten years. In 2021, flash flooding triggered by a cloudburst killed over 200.

The Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) said 16 people, including nine Army personnel and seven civilians, are missing.

A drone view of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) officials attempting to build a makeshift bridge to reach Dharali village after the bridge connecting it was swept away during landslides in Gangnani, Uttarakhand, India, August 8, 2025. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY