Overview
- A sudden flash flood on Monday evening in Tamak Nala, Niti Valley, produced a powerful surge that swept away a recently built Bailey/metal bridge and carried off vehicles and machinery.
- Officials from Chamoli district, the police, SDRF and NDRF have been deployed and are conducting search-and-rescue operations for a Border Roads Organisation driver who was reported missing after the surge.
- The collapse has cut road access to roughly 12–16 remote villages beyond Malari, prompting authorities to halt vehicular movement and plan alternate routes to keep food, medicine and essentials flowing.
- Rescue work is being hampered by ongoing heavy rain and darkness, and the India Meteorological Department and its Flash Flood Guidance Cell continue to warn of low-to-moderate flash-flood risk in parts of Uttarakhand.
- The incident underscores how temporary mountain bridges and road links remain vulnerable to sudden monsoon surges, raising both humanitarian concerns for isolated communities and operational challenges for the BRO.