Uttarakhand: Search Operation Resumes To Find 17 People Who Went Missing After Rudraprayag Landslide

After a massive landslide hit Rudraprayag's Gaurikund, three people have been found dead and 17 people are missing. The National Disaster Response Force along with State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel and the local administration have resumed the search operation to find the missing persons.

Outlook Web Desk

Updated on: 5 August 2023 11:23 am

A search operation is underway to find 17 people who are missing after landslide in Uttarakhand.

A search operation resumed on Saturday morning to trace 17 people who went missing after a landslide caused a flash flood in Gaurikund in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand. Reportedly three people have died as of yet due to this landslide.

Reportedly the District Administration of Rudraprayag stated, "3 people have been killed and 17 people are missing in the landslide that occurred 16 km before Kedarnath in Rudraprayag's Gaurikund."

The heavy debris that came down from the mountains during the landslide washed away three roadside shops and dhabas. The reports said that there were four locals and 16 Nepalese people present in those three shops at Daat Puliya near Gaurikund on the way to Kedarnath on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, leaving 20 people missing.

According to district disaster management officer Nandan Singh Rajwar, around 100 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel, along with a team from the local administration, are engaged in the search operation. He also added that drones were being used in the search operation.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is scheduled to visit the spot to review the search and rescue operations.

Rajwar said three bodies have been found so far and 17 people are missing. However, the district administration had on Friday said that four bodies had been recovered.

The Mandakini River flows around 50 metres below the spot where the shops were located.

A landslide near the Forest Department office at Lisa Depot in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, earlier today caused a stretch of around 60 meters of the Gangotri National Highway to cave in, impeding vehicle traffic.

Reportedly the Tehri Dam which is located nearby is the reason for the landslide.

As per reports, the monsoon in Uttarakhand has so far taken the lives of 31 people and 31 others are injured along with the damage to 1,176 houses.

According to the reports, an official from the State Disaster Management stated, "Since June 15 this year, 10 deaths and 5 injuries have been reported in the state due to landslides, 19 deaths and 21 injuries due to cloudbursts or heavy rains, 2 deaths and 5 injuries due to lightning and 32 houses alone have been completely destroyed due to cloudburst."