The fury of the floods in the north-west Himalayan region: the Kedarnath tragedy

Abstract

The floods in the parts of the north-west Himalayan region caused severe damage in the Uttarakhand state of India and in some parts of western Nepal. The severity of the floods and damage was maximum in the Kedarnath region, home of a very famous Hindu pilgrimage. It caused the death of about 4000 people and almost a similar number are still missing. The flash floods were mainly caused by the heavy rainfall, triggering landslides in some places, damaging buildings and infrastructures. The extensive damage and large death toll expose the vulnerability of the mountainous region and lack of coordinated relief and rescue operation.