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.

Teams of army and disaster force rescuers were searching for dozens, including at least 11 Indian army soldiers, who are believed to be trapped under the rubble.

Video from Northern India shows a wall of water, mud and debris cascading down a mountainside into a village after a sudden downpour of heavy rain in the region. Rescue efforts are now underway with searchers looking for dozens of people who are feared to be trapped or missing.