Hindu monk killed in wall collapse in Rishikesh, another injured: Officials

Amidst heavy rainfall and floods, over 46 people have been killed and at least 35 injured since June 15 in various disaster-related incidents in Uttarakhand and over 1,200 houses have been damaged

An 84-year-old Hindu monk was killed while another injured after a wall collapsed in Uttarakhand’s Rishikesh on Thursday morning, said officials.

SDRF rescue a Sadhu trapped under rubble after wall collapse in Rishkesh (HT Photo)

Amidst heavy rainfall, a wall collapsed near Chaurasi Kutiya in the Laxman Jhula area of Uttarakhand’s Rishikesh in the wee hours of Thursday in which two people were buried, said officials.

Lalita Negi, media in charge of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) said a wall collapsed, and two Sadhus were trapped under the rubble.

“Locals were able to rescue one of them by pulling him out, but another remained trapped. SDRF later recovered the body of another Sadhu,” Negi said.

She said the deceased was originally hailed from Rajasthan.

Amidst heavy rainfall and floods, over 46 people have been killed and at least 35 injured since June 15 in various disaster-related incidents and over 1,200 houses have been damaged across the state.

Dehradun district has reported 109.6mm of rainfall in the 24 hours (up to 8.30 am Thursday), over 666 % above the normal, according to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).

The IMD on Thursday issued a red and orange alert for various parts of the hilly state until August 12.

The red alert areas include Nainital, Champawat, Udham Singh Nagar, and Pauri districts. While an orange alert has been sounded in Dehradun, Tehri, and Almora. The officials have also cautioned people living along the river beds and other vulnerable areas.