Himalayan cloudbursts kill hundreds in India and Pakistan

Severe cloudbursts in the Indian Himalayan region and across nearby Pakistan have underscored growing climate vulnerability, killing hundreds, wrecking homes and roads, and straining already fragile infrastructure. In Uttarakhand, a spring cloudburst flooded a Himalayan village and disrupted pilgrimage routes, while across the border in Pakistan’s northwest, hundreds perished in a single disastrous event and many more were left homeless or missing. Experts say the deadly deluges reflect a broader shift toward more extreme, less predictable rainfall tied to a warming climate.

In Uttarakhand, emergency officials reported that a cloudburst damaged or destroyed homes and facilities along a mountain corridor used by pilgrims, with Dharali in Uttarkashi among the affected communities. In parallel, Pakistan’s Buner district experienced an extraordinarily deadly downpour, with hundreds confirmed dead and many more unaccounted for. Across Indian-administered Kashmir, dozens died and dozens more remained missing as flash floods surged through valleys and damaged infrastructure, while in other northern areas the force of the rain and ensuing landslides overwhelmed communities unprepared...