Uttarakhand, the mountainous northern state that hosts Dharali, has been devastated by cloudbursts before. A June 2013 cloudburst killed over 6,000 people in Uttarakhand and surrounding states, becoming the country's worst natural disaster in ten years. In 2021, flash flooding triggered by a cloudburst killed over 200.

The flash floods, triggered by a cloudburst, swept through the village of Dharali, a popular tourist destination dotted with hotels and restaurants.

The Indian Himalayan state of Uttarakhand is bracing for more heavy rain, after flash floods on Tuesday washed away an entire village and killed at least four people in the region.