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Rain triggers landslide, kills four in Pithoragarh village
HALDWANI: Four people were killed and several others injured after their homes collapsed due to landslide triggered by heavy rains in Madarma village in Pithoragarh
HALDWANI: Four people were killed and several others injured after their homes collapsed due to landslide triggered by heavy rains in Madarma village in Pithoragarh district on Saturday night.
The victims were identified as Sher Singh, his wife Radha Devi and their niece Sunita. Another body was recovered from the debris on Sunday. Three injured - Bhawan Singh, Heera Devi and Prahlad Singh - were rescued by the villagers.
Heavy rains triggered the landslide flattening three homes at Tamakhani Tok near Munsyari on Saturday night. Authorities were hoping for weather to clear so that an injured woman could be airlifted to Haldwani for treatment on Sunday. However, a helicopter could not land due to inclement weather. The villagers had brought the injured woman, identified as Rekha, in a makeshift stretcher to Bangapanit. Later, she was taken to Pithoragarh district hospital in a vehicle.
Locals were the first to respond to the tragedy and brought out the bodies buried under the debris. National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force personnel faced difficulties in reaching the spot due to the inclement weather and difficult terrain.
NDRF and SDRF teams were searching for dead and missing people at the site, officials said.
Officiating district magistrate Ashish Chauhan confirmed the four deaths in Madarma village that lies between Bangapani and Madkot. Rescue and relief operations were on in spite of the inclement weather, he added.
