Five people died and dozens went missing after a devastating flash flood tore through homes and hotels at a Himalayan village in northern India this week, but residents said the toll could have been far higher if not for a religious festival drawing many to higher ground.
Nearly 200 people were rescued from Dharali, a remote mountainous village in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand state, after a cloudburst on Tuesday triggered mudslides and flash flooding in the Kheer Ganga river.
