House collapses on camera; 50 homes submerged in Pithoragarh after cloudburst

Uttarakhand cloudburst: The incident took place near the India-Nepal border.

At least 50 houses have been submerged in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh after a cloudburst was reported in the Dharchula town. The cloudburst - that was reported to have occurred near the India-Nepal border at around 1 am on Saturday - has also claimed a life.

A video tweeted by the Uttarakhand Police shows a house collapsing. ((Twitter) )

Videos captured the aftermath and the Kali river in the area in fierce flow. In a tweet, the Pithoragarh Police shared a clip, and wrote that about 50 houses had got submerged in the Khotila village. The clip shared in the post showed the river flowing in full rage.

In another post, the police warned locals against going close to the river, and also suggested that the bridges over the river should be avoided. “It is very important to act with caution with the river reaching the danger level,” the post read.

Pithoragarh district magistrate Ashish Chauhan told news agency ANI that one woman had died. Water had reportedly entered several houses. Another video shared by the fire service of the Uttarakhand Police showed a house collapsing into the river. Rescue work is going on, it said, by the fire service, the State Disaster Response Force, police and administration.

The hill state of Uttarakhand - also known for its pilgrimage sites - often sees such incidents, raising questions and concerns about climate change.

Several other states - including Karnataka and Maharashtra - are also battling flooding in various parts. Recently, videos emerged from Bengaluru showing flooded streets and hapless residents in a reminder than even metro cities are as vulnerable and lack a mechanism to keep the civic system on its feet in dire situations.

(With inputs from ANI)