A wall of water from an apparent cloudburst has brought calamity to a picturesque mountain in Uttarakhand’s Dharali town, taking the lives of many people and destroying a large swathe of hotels and houses. Fortuitously recorded mobile phone videos show the swelling waters descending on habitations after torrential rain swelled the Kheer Ganga River, catching people by surprise, knocking down buildings like papier mâché structures and burying everything in sight under many feet of sediment.

The initial single-digit death toll appears small, and, in spite of valiant rescue efforts by the Army and disaster response forces, there are justified fears for the large number of missing people, including many tourists. Residents of the state, along with their........

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