U'khand rains: 5 killed in landslide in Rudraprayag, Dhami visits rain-hit Kotwar

Dehradun: Five people, including three pilgrims from Gujarat, died after being buried under the debris of a landslide on the Kedarnath Yatra route in Rudraprayag district as the MeT department on Friday warned of heavy rains in six districts of Uttarakhand for the next few days.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami undertook a ground inspection of the rain-hit Kotdwar area where a man had gone missing in a landslide a couple of days ago and several bridges were damaged, cutting off a large population from the rest of the state.

Assembly Speaker and local MLA Ritu Khanduri was also present with Dhami doing his ground inspection.

Dhami directed Pauri District Magistrate Ashish Chauhan to work on the repair of the damaged bridge in Gadighati. He also inspected the alternative bridge over Malan River connecting Kotdwar and Bhabar.

Five persons travelling in a car were buried under the debris of a landslide at Tarsali in Phata area on the Kedarnath Yatra route in Rudraprayag district Thursday night but their bodies were recovered on Friday as there was a let-up in incessant rains.

The dead included three devotees from Gujarat and one from Haridwar. Efforts were on to identify the fifth victim, police said.

Talking to reporters, Dhami said the first endeavour of the government was to restore normalcy in the state which was disrupted by the monsoon rains and to provide quick aid and relief to the people affected by the calamity.

After this, the damage caused by the disaster in various areas would be assessed and the deficiencies in the arrangements would be rectified, he said.
The Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert for heavy rain in six districts of the state for Friday and a red alert for the next three days.

"Red and orange alerts have been issued by the Meteorological Department in many districts of the state. All the residents and tourists are requested to avoid unnecessary travel," Dhami said in a tweet.

Dhami said he has instructed the district administration and SDRF to remain in alert mode for 24 hours and he is also monitoring every situation by establishing contact with the concerned authorities.

Dehradun Meteorological Center has issued an orange alert for Tehri, Dehradun, Pauri, Champawat, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts for Friday and a  red alert from August 12 to 14.

The centre has asked the administration to take adequate precautions while issuing warnings.

Normal life has been badly affected in the state due to incessant rains. Due to excessive rains this year, natural calamities like landslides, floods and cloudbursts have caused huge loss of life and property in the state.

According to information received from the State Emergency Operation Center, 58 people have lost their lives and 37 people have been injured so far in various incidents during this monsoon while 19 others are missing.

In addition, 1,167 houses were damaged, including 33 which were completely damaged, and a large amount of agricultural land was also washed away.

Roads and bridges have also suffered a lot due to the rains in the state.