Five killed, 11 missing in cloudbursts and landslides in Uttarakhand.
Roads blocked, houses damaged and rescues slowed across four districts.
IMD issues red alert for heavy rain in Bageshwar, Chamoli, Dehradun and Rudraprayag.
Six people died and 11 others went missing after heavy rain and a series of cloudbursts triggered landslides in several districts of Uttarakhand on Friday, officials said. Houses were damaged, roads blocked and livestock swept away in incidents across Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Tehri and Bageshwar.
According to PTI, the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) said overnight rainfall damaged several houses in Pausari gram panchayat in Bageshwar’s Kapkot area. Two people, Basanti Devi and Bachuli Devi, were killed. Three others, including Ramesh Chandra Joshi, Girish and Puran Joshi, were missing. Basanti Devi’s son, Pawan, was rescued with injuries.
In Chamoli, a landslide buried a house and cowshed in Mopata village, killing Tara Singh (62) and his wife Kamla Devi (60). Another resident was injured. Around 25 livestock were also reported missing in the district, the USDMA said. PTI reported that in Rudraprayag, continuous rain and landslides caused damage in more than half a dozen villages. At Jakholi, Sarita Devi died in a house collapse, while three cloudbursts were recorded. Eight people went missing in Chenagad, including Sate Singh Negi, Kuldip Singh Negi, Neeraj and Raj.
In Dehradun, the SDRF recovered the body of a 10-year-old boy from the Bindal river after he fell in late on Thursday. In Syur village of Rudraprayag, a house was damaged and a car swept away in debris. SDRF Inspector General Arun Mohan Joshi said 70 people stranded in Taljaman and Kund villages were relocated to safer areas. Videos online showed rescuers using ropes to help residents cross swollen streams.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held a video conference with district magistrates and directed them to expedite relief and rescue work. PTI reported that NDRF, SDRF, DDRF and revenue police teams had reached disaster-hit areas, though damaged roads continued to delay access.
In Tehri’s Budha Kedar area, landslides have buried livestock sheds and temples. In Genwali village, part of a house was damaged and an irrigation department wall built after last year’s disaster was washed away. Locals said potato fields were covered in debris, though no casualties were reported.
Road connectivity was badly affected. The Badrinath National Highway was blocked by debris at several points, including Chamoli-Nandprayag, Kameda, Bhanerpani, Pagalnala, Jilasoo, Gulabkoti and Chatwapipal. In Rudraprayag, the highway was closed at Sirobgadh, while the Kedarnath route was blocked at four locations between Banswara and Chopta. Pilgrims were advised to travel only after checking police and administration updates.
The Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall in Bageshwar, Chamoli, Dehradun and Rudraprayag over the next 24 hours, and an orange alert for Champawat, Haridwar, Pithoragarh, Udham Singh Nagar and Uttarkashi.
(With inputs from PTI)
