India, Aug. 5 -- Villages were washed away and several people were feared dead after a major cloudburst struck Dharali area near Harsil in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi on Tuesday.

The Uttarkashi Police said that due to the rising water level of Kheer Gadh in the Harsil area, "reports of damage in Dharali have prompted police, SDRF, army, and other disaster response teams to engage in relief and rescue operations at the site". Follow Uttarkashi cloudburst live updates

Scary visuals of the cloudburst emerged, showing houses being swept away with the force of the triggered flood.

The Uttarakhand police also said that emergency service officials and teams are engaged in search and rescue operations.

Home minister Amit Shah spoke to Uttarakhan...