Dehradun: At least five people were killed and over 20 went missing after a cloudburst late Monday night triggered torrential rain and widespread destruction in Dehradun.
The calamity, centred in Sahastradhara, struck in the early hours of Tuesday, unleashing flash floods that swept away hotels, shops and houses and caused severe damage to commercial establishments and vital infrastructure across the district with many feared to be trapped or swept away in the raging waters.
Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman said damage has also been reported from Mal Devta in Dehradun and from Mussoorie.
Heavy overnight rains at various places in Uttarakhand damaged roads, houses and shops, and washed out a bridge early on Tuesday following the calamity that also triggered some landslides.
Teams are engaged in relief and rescue operations in the affected areas, while 300 to 400 people have been moved to safety, Suman highlighted.
Reports indicate that four people were swept away near Shikhar Fall in Bhagat Singh Colony, Tapkeshwar, while a landslide at Mussoorie’s Jharipani toll plaza buried two workers, killing one and injuring the other. Two more people are reported missing from the Karli Gaad area.
In Doiwala, several homes were flooded, and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams rescued three people stranded in the Chandrabhaga River.
Waterlogging in Tehri left people stranded at Geeta Bhawan, Suman said, adding that they were rescued. A road in Nainital has also been blocked by debris brought by a landslide triggered by heavy rain.
Residents of Majhara village were on the road, having survived what they called a landslide that hit their dwellings early in the morning. They claimed that some people have gone missing.
SDRF and NDRF teams were mobilised overnight in a swift response to the unfolding crisis.
“Upon receiving news of the disaster, SDRF and NDRF teams reached the affected sites immediately,” SDRF Commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi told The New Indian Express.
“Residents of the impacted areas have been moved to safer locations. Heavy machinery, including excavators, has been deployed for relief and rescue operations, and the search for missing persons is continuing on a war footing,” he added.
source : The New Indian express