Over 1,000 people evacuated in Uttarakhand so far amid incessant rain: NDRF DIG

NDRF deputy inspector general said that Almora, Champawat, Udham Singh Nagar, and Nainital are the most affected districts in the state.

Updated on: Oct 20, 2021, 21:15:13 IST

Written by Sharangee Dutta | Edited by Avik Roy, Hindustan Times, New Delhi

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Amid rain fury in northern hill state Uttarakhand, as many as 17 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in the state for carrying out rescue and relief work, deputy inspector general (DIG) of the force Mohsen Shahedi told news agency ANI on Wednesday.

As many as 17 NDRF teams have been deployed in Uttarakhand in view of the natural calamity.

He added that a total of 1,300 people have been evacuated and shifted to safe locations across the state. The 17 teams include those from Delhi and Dehradun along with two teams from Uttar Pradesh and six separate teams that were already deployed in the hill state as part of the pre-monsoon arrangement.

Also Read | ‘My friends died in their sleep’: Uttarakhand rain fury leaves trail of despair

Shahedi said that Almora, Champawat, Udham Singh (US) Nagar, and Nainital are the most hit districts due to heavy rain in the state.

The incessant rain in Uttarakhand has washed houses away, flooded roads and even caused Nainital Lake to overflow. The death toll in multiple rain-related incidents has shot up to 50, officials told Hindustan Times on Wednesday. Of the deceased persons, 30 are from Nainital, six from Almora, two from Champawat, two from US Nagar, and one in Bageshwar district. Furthermore, nine houses have been destroyed due to heavy rain.

Meanwhile, two persons are missing after a fresh landslide was triggered in Dungri village in Chamoli district on Tuesday night, district magistrate Himanshu Khurana told ANI. Rescue operations by local administration and disaster management teams are underway, he added.

Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has conducted aerial surveys of affected regions in Kumaon, and also spoke to authorities to take stock of the situation. He has already announced an ex gratia of ₹4 lakh each to the next of kin of deceased and ₹1.9 lakh to those who lost their houses in rain-related incidents in the state.

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