‘It flowed away like a leaf’: Hotelier escapes Uttarkashi flood horror by temple’s grace

When business slowed on August 5, Jai Bhagwan, a hotelier in Uttarakhand’s Dharali village, chose to step out and attend a local Naag Devta festival at a nearby temple — a decision that would save his life.

By 1:40 am, the temple grounds were bustling with devotees when a terrifying sound split the night. “There was a deafening roar, followed by screaming and frantic whistling from the village. Then came a surge — water, rocks, mud — everything,” Bhagwan recalled.

Moments later, flash floods triggered by a cloudburst tore through Dharali’s market area. Among the buildings razed to the ground was Bhagwan’s four-storey hotel — once a 40-room haven for Char Dham pilgrims — now reduced to debris, carried downstream like driftwood.

“It just disappeared. My hotel floated away like a leaf,” he said, recounting the moment he saw its destruction in a video clip hours later. “Only then did the reality hit me — I had nothing left.”

As torrents swallowed homes and businesses, Bhagwan attempted to reach his nearby residence. “Within 20 minutes, the floodwaters were at my doorstep. I fled on foot toward Harsil,” he said.

For hours after the catastrophe, he scrambled to contact his family. “I could speak to them until 4 pm, then the lines went dead.”

Fortunately, his family and hotel staff — including his nephew who manages the property — were not present when disaster struck. “It’s the monsoon lull. On any other day, during Char Dham season, the hotel would have been full,” he said, his voice heavy with what-ifs.

As search and rescue efforts continue, officials report at least two bodies recovered so far. Over 60 people are feared missing. The site is now buried under 50 to 60 feet of sludge and debris, which rescue personnel describe as “like quicksand” — nearly impossible to navigate without heavy machinery.

For Bhagwan, survival came by chance — or perhaps divine intervention. The temple where he stood was one of the few places left untouched.