That One Rainy Day....

2013 flash floods

On 16 June 2013, approximately 7:30 P.M., a landslide occurred near the Kedarnath Temple with loud thunder followed by the gushing of huge amount of waters from Chorabari Tal or Gandhi Tal down Mandakini River at about 8:30 p.m. which washed away everything in it's path. On 17 June 2013 at approximately 6:40 a.m., waters rushed down from the Chorabari Tal or Gandhi Sarovar, bringing along it's flow, a huge amount of silt, rocks, and boulders. A huge boulder got stuck behind the Kedarnath Temple, protecting it from the ravages of the flood. The flood-water gushed on both sides of the temple, destroying everything in it's path. Thus, in the middle of the pilgrimage season, torrential rains, cloud bursts, and resulting in flash-floods nearly destroyed the town of Kedarnath. The town was the worst affected area by the floods. Thousands of people were killed, and thousands of others (mostly pilgrims) were reported missing or stranded due to landslides around Kedarnath. Although, the surrounding area and compound of the Kedarnath Temple were destroyed, the temple itself survived. The rescue operation resulted in more that 100,000 people being airlifted with the help of mainly the Private Helicopter Operators, who began the rescue mission, voluntarily without any clear directives from the State Goverment or Ministry of Defence. The Indian Army and Indian Air Force helicopters arrived much after the Private Helicopter Operators had already begun the massive air rescue mission. Dare-devil helicopter pilots, mostly ex-Indian Air Force and ex-Army Aviaton Officers, flew relentlessly. Capt. Unni Krishnan from Prabhatam Aviaton & Capt. Bhatnagar from Premair were such outstanding pilots who landed at the Sh. Kedarnath Ji right-ridge at dusk hours - 1910 hrs ( almost 35 minutes after sunset) to pick-up the last batch of survivors for the day. The NDRF represented by a commandant, and another junior office arrived at the right-ridge of the town bordering the Mandakini river, unprepared with a malfunctioning satellite phone. However, the next day they brought in more men and supplies. The first Indian Army officer to arrive at the Sh. Kedarnath Ji right-ridge was a Captain from the Assam Rifles Regiment. He single-handedly displayed exemplary courage in rescuing many survivors by climbing up the steep slopes and fractures along the Rambara ridge-line. His cool demeanor and stable poise, even under such intense and perilous circumstances, are proof of the impeccable training & discipline imbibed within him. The Indian Army later launched a massive rescue effort with thousands of it's brave-heart men and vital equipment. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police and the reserve battalions of the Uttrakhand Police displayed outstanding courage in the rescue mission. A Eurocopter AS350 53 helicopter, each, of the private helicopter operators- Prabhatam Aviaton & Simm Samm Aviaton, were lost during the rescue mission without any reported casualities. An Indian air force helicopter (Mi 17) also crashed during this exercise, killing all 20 people on board (all of them were soldiers involved in relief and rescue work). The Air Force dropped logs to build pyres for mass cremation of the victims. It was reported previously uncollected bodies were still being found one year after the tragedy.