Hotel owners says over 3,000 travellers are stranded, unable to find their way to Dehradun; bid to fly patients from the ITBP helipad in Mussoorie fails; police ask people not to take out vehicles

The recent rainfall that lashed Mussoorie in Uttarakhand has caused severe damage to roads linking the hill town to capital Dehradun, leaving hundreds of tourists stranded. While hotels and homestays offered them free accommodation, many tourists were growing anxious, as officials worked to clear the highways.

At least 18 people were killed and 19 were still missing, disaster management authorities said, 48 hours after flash floods struck the town.

Late on Wednesday (September 17, 2025), authorities announced that movement of small vehicles had begun on the roads.

Sandeep Sahni, president of the Hotels and Restaurants Association of Uttarakhand, told The Hindu that over 300 big and small hotels across Mussoorie have "not taken a penny" from guests stranded in the hill station. The guests were supposed to check out on Tuesday (September 16, 2025).

"As far as we know, over 3,000 people were stranded in Mussoorie on Tuesday. Many of them managed to get out of the town via roads leading to Tehri at Kempty fall and Dhanaulti, taking extremely long routes. Many also decided to stay and wait for the administration to open the roads for vehicular movement," he said.

Not just hotels, even homestays across the hill town, numbering around 300, have offered free stay to stranded travellers.

"We were supposed to check out on Tuesday morning, but since a bridge on the road connecting Doon and Mussoorie was damaged, we could not the reach the place. Our homestay owner offered us free stay and food even though we offered to pay," said Swati Tiwari from Delhi, who had travelled to Mussoorie for vacation.

Even residents of the hill town, including patients, students and private employees, were stranded due to the blocked roads.

The district administration attempted to airlift patients from the ITBP helipad in Mussoorie but after being denied permission, the patients were transported to Doon by ambulance, taking an 80-100 km detour. They needed emergency care, for reasons such as dialysis, heart attack and bone and head injuries, sources said.

To ensure that people do not try to travel and jam the roads, the police made announcements on Mall Road asking travellers to stay in their hotels.

In Sahastradhara, which bore the brunt of the heavy rain on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, residents who returned from rehabilitation camps were busy searching damaged homes and shops for their belongings. The administration had shifted them to nearby schools and hotels.

"I am worried if my wife's jewellery and my son's certificates are safe. We left homes unlocked when the administration asked us to vacate. Now, we don't know what the condition of our home is," said Sanjay Kumar who runs a makeshift eatery at Sahastradhara market.

Rains damage connecting roads to Mussorrie, hotels offer free stay to hundreds of stranded tourists