ANKARA

India's rescue operation on Monday has entered its sixth day to locate more than 40 missing people in the northern state of Uttarakhand, following devastating mudslides and flash floods that struck the village of Dharali last week.

The Indian army, air force, and several other agencies are currently undertaking a major rescue and relief operation since a cloudburst triggered the mudslide that buried parts of the Dharali village in the state’s Uttarkashi district on August 5.

As of Monday, 43 people are missing, including army men, a disaster official told Anadolu over the phone, requesting anonymity. "Rescue operations are (underway) to find the missing people,” the official added.

The Indian army’s central command wrote on X on Monday that nine of its personnel, who were carrying out a search-and-rescue mission for the Aug. 5 flash flood victims, are still feared missing.

The district administration has confirmed four deaths in the tragedy, Press Trust of India reported on Monday.

Police in Uttarkashi said rescue operations are being conducted rapidly at the Harsil-Dharali site.

Efforts are also underway to drain water from a temporary lake formed in the Harsil area, with an ongoing threat of the water level of the Bhagirathi River rising in lower areas, according to the police.

The state’s chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on Monday that in this difficult time of “disaster, our government is working with full commitment to normalize public life.”

In the neighboring state of Himachal Pradesh, the death toll has reached 224 due to the ongoing monsoon rains, officials said on Monday. Since mid-June, 108 of the total 224 deaths were due to road accidents, while the rest resulted from landslides and drowning.