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Rani Pokhri bridge on Dehradun-Rishikesh highway collapses in Uttarakhand
The traffic between Dehradun and Rishikesh has now been diverted through Nepali Farm. In another incident, a 23-year-old woman was buried under the debris of a landslide in Pithoragarh district on Friday. Thirteen houses were damaged by the landslide in Josha village of Dharchula area
Heavy rains have wreaked havoc in Uttarakhand with the Rani Pokhri bridge on Dehradun-Rishikesh highway collapsing on Friday, trapping many vehicles. People in these vehicles got off and ran to safety. Senior officials rushed to the site and the traffic between Dehradun and Rishikesh has now been diverted through Nepali Farm. No casualties have been reported yet.
Dehradun has been witnessing heavy rains for the past few days due to which there has been a rise in the water level of rivers and some parts have got waterlogged and flooded. Uttarakhand Police, tweeting about the accident, said, “Part of Rani Pokhri bridge on Dehradun-Rishikesh highway has collapsed due to heavy rains and flow of current. People are advised not to use this route.”
Dinesh Sindhwal, assistant engineer, Rishikesh Public Works Department said bridge was built in 1964. “Over 20 metre stretch of the bridge collapsed due to fast and heavy flow of water in the river due to incessant rain in Dehradun district over the last few days,” he said.
A stretch of Sahastradwar- Maal Devta road also caved in due to heavy rains. Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inspected the area and instructed the officials to repair the damaged road stretch at the earliest.
Meanwhile, a team of state disaster response force (SDRF) rescued four people, including a woman, who were trapped on an island in the Song River near Nepali Farm area in Dehradun after the water level rose suddenly in the river. Another SDRF team also shifted some families from Dehradun’s Khadda Colony to safety as water entered many houses in the area.
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In another incident, a 23-year-old woman was buried under the debris of a landslide in Pithoragarh district on Friday. Thirteen houses were damaged by the landslide in Josha village of Dharchula area.
“The landslide occurred with a loud sound, and debris came tumbling down the hillside,” said village sarpanch Chanchal Singh. The woman has been identified as Pashupati Devi. Dharchula sub-divisional magistrate AK Shukla said an SDRF team has been sent to the site for search and rescue operation.
In Tehri district, National Highway 58 has been closed from Tapovan to Maletha due to heavy rainfall in the area, till further orders.
Meanwhile in Champawat, the work on removing debris from landslide site at Swala is on and the road is likely to be cleared for traffic by evening. “Work is getting delayed due to continuous boulder fall in the area. If more landslides do not occur, the highway could be cleared by evening,” said Vineet Tomar, Champawat district magistrate.
