23 die, more than 50 missing in Uttarakhand

Twenty-three people died and more than 50 have gone missing on the Rudraprayag-Kedarnath route in Uttarakhand on account of rain and landslides over the past 24 hours, HT reports.

Twenty-three people died and more than 50 have gone missing on the Rudraprayag-Kedarnath route in Uttarakhand on account of rain and landslides over the past 24 hours.

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More than 30,000 tourists and pilgrims have been stranded on different Chardham (four pilgrimages) routes of the Garhwal hills.

"As many as 15 people died in Rudraprayag district, two each in Uttarkashi and Chamoli, three in Dehradun and one in Tehri owing to heavy rainfall, resulting in landslides and flash floods. We are trying to collect details about the deceased. At present it is difficult to estimate the extent of the loss," said Piyush Rautela, executive director, State Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre.

"The situation is more grim on the Rudraprayag-Kedarnath route. Two police posts have been washed away, cutting off the area. Apart from the destruction of roads, the helipad at the Kedarnath temple has become non-functional."

The Kedarnath temple, 110 km northeast of Dehradun, is cut off because the bridge on the Mandakani at Gaurikund was washed away on Sunday night, leaving tourists and pilgrims stranded.

In addition, more than 30 mules have been swept away by the Mandakani floods on the Kedarnath route, according to unofficial sources.