Dozens dead in rain fury in Himachal, Uttarakhand, J&K

Seven people, including five children, died and five others were injured in Odisha as the deep depression that crossed the state on Friday evening brought heavy rain.

Dehradun/Shimla/Dharamshala: Torrential rain wreaked havoc on Saturday, triggering multiple landslides and flash floods in the hill states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, and the Union territory of Jammu Kashmir, where over two dozen people were killed.

The railway bridge on Chakki river collapses due to a flash flood triggered by heavy rains in Kangra on Saturday. (ANI)

Seven people, including five children, died and five others were injured in Odisha as the deep depression that crossed the state on Friday evening brought heavy rain.

At least 13 people in Uttarakhand, and six in Himachal Pradesh were missing, officials in the two states said on Saturday.

In Uttarakhand, Dehradun, Pauri Garhwal, Tehri Garhwal and Bageshwar were the worst affected districts, where normal life was thrown out of gear after overnight rain damaged national and state highways.

Of the four deaths in the state, two were reported from Gwar village in Tehri Garhwal district. Another woman died in the Kirti Nagar area of the district in a house collapse, officials said.

In Pauri Garhwal, a woman died after the wall of her house in Binak village collapsed, the officials said.

“According to primary assessment, around a dozen houses have been damaged due to the mudslide that was triggered by heavy rains in the Binak village that left one elderly woman dead,” DP Kala, district Pauri disaster management authority officer said.

A cloud burst in Dehradun’s Raipur area early on Saturday prompted an evacuation by the state disaster response force.

The cloud burst was reported from Sarkhet village in Raipur block at around 2.45am and affected several areas, including Maldevta, Bhutsi, Tauliyakatal, Thatyud, Lavarkha, Ringalgadh, Dhuttu, and Ragad Gaon, the officials said.

A team of SDRF personnel was rushed to the spot from the Sahastradhara post for rescue operations, SDRF media in-charge Lalita Negi said. Over 40 people were evacuated by the rescue team, she said, adding that no loss of life was reported from the incident.

A bridge near Soda-Saroli on the Raipur-Thano road over the Song River connecting 12 remote villages with the rest of the district was washed away, officials said.

Rainwater entered the caves of Tapkeshwar, a Shiva temple on the banks of the Tons River, the officials said.

Videos of the popular tourist destination Kempty Falls in Mussoorie in spate due to torrential rain have been doing the rounds on social media.

As a precautionary measure, shopkeepers and tourists have been removed from the spot, police officials in the area said.

Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inspected the affected areas and instructed the officials to ensure a speedy rescue operation. He ordered officials to ensure provision of food, water and other essential for the affected people.

The India Meteorological Department has predicted heavy rainfall at isolated places in Bageshwar, Chamoli and Pithoragarh districts on Sunday.

In Himachal, the Beas river and its tributary were flowing near the danger mark in Mandi, prompting the district administration to shut all educational institutions for a day. There were also reports of flash floods at Son Khud in Dharampur sub-division of the district, deputy commissioner Arindam Chaudhary said.

At least 20 people died across the state in rain-related incidents.

Eight members of a family died after a landslide hit their house in Gohar subdivision, sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Raman Kumar Sharma said. Bodies of all victims were recovered after an extensive operation that lasted for several hours, Sharma said.

Three members of a family died in a similar accident in Banet village of Chamba district, state disaster management authority director Sudesh Kumar Mokhta said.

In Kangra, landslides claimed two lives, including a nine-year-old boy. Nearly 400 people were evacuated from Halred village in Kangra after flooding.

A portion of Chakki Railway Bridge on the Pathankot-Jogindernagar narrow gauge line was swept away by gushing waters of the Chakki rivulet, a tributary of the Beas.

A retaining wall of the Rajiv Gandhi Government Medical College, Nagrota Bagwan, collapsed after a landslide, prompting the authorities to shift the students to safer places.

Mokhta said that a total of 14 houses, five cowsheds and six vehicles were damaged in rain-related incidents across the state.

Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur and Bharatiya Janata Party president JP Nadda expressed grief over the loss of lives. Nadda is on a two-day visit to the state.

Two brother — a three-year-old and a two-month-old — were killed after their mud house collapsed in a landslide triggered due to heavy rains in Jammu and Kashmir’s Uddhampur village, officials said.

Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha expressed his grief over the incident and directed officials to provide necessary assistance to the affected family. “Extremely pained by the loss of lives due to house collapse in Muttal, Udhampur. My deepest condolences to bereaved family in this hour of grief. Directed district administration to provide necessary assistance to the affected family,” tweeted Sinha.

(With agency inputs)