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,

A cloudburst led to flash floods in the high altitude villages of Dharali in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district on Tuesday with several houses damaged or swept away in the raging waters and at least four people killed,