40 feared dead in fresh landslides triggered by rains in Uttarakhand

DEHRADUN/AGARTALA: Monsoon covered almost the entire country on Sunday, bringing relief to the parched countryside where farmers are waiting for the annual rain

DEHRADUN/AGARTALA: Monsoon covered almost the entire country on Sunday, bringing relief to the parched countryside where farmers are waiting for the annual rain to sow crops.

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But heavy rain slowed down rescue at cloudburst-hit districts in Uttarakhand and restricted work to clear the lone national highway to Tripura, which is cut off from the mainland for the past 45 days.

Rescuers pulled out three more bodies from a mud pile in the northern hill state’s Pithoragarh district where cloudburst-triggered landslides on Thursday night buried more than 40 people.

Officially the toll stood at 18 but set to rise as sniffer dogs and earthmovers were deployed to locate and extricate bodies.

In the northeastern state of Tripura, inclement weather has turned its repair-starved lifeline into a mud pit, stranding more than 4,000 trucks laden with supplies. The state is running out of petroleum products and a government-imposed rationing ensured that petrol is sold at more than Rs 200 a litre in the grey market.