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.

On Tuesday afternoon, a devastating cloudburst hit Dharali, a region known for its ecological sensitivity and significance as a key stop for pilgrims heading to Gangotri. The heavy rains caused massive mudslides,