5 dead after cloudbursts, flash floods hit 4 districts
Dehradun/Mussoorie, Aug. 30 -- At least five people were killed and 11 others reported missing after cloudburst-induced flash floods and mudslides swept through parts of Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Tehri Garhwal and Bageshwar districts on the intervening night between Thursday and Friday, officials said, adding that several houses were damaged by debris, in addition to the damage sustained by the fields and livestock.
Rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police and revenue were dispatched to aid in relief efforts, they added.
An elderly couple were buried alive after their house collapsed in Chamoli's Mopata village, while two other family members sustained minor injuries, chief development officer Abhishek Tripathi said, adding that the deceased were identified as Tara Singh, 62, and his wife Kamla Devi, 60.
One person was killed and eight others reported missing from Basukedar and Jakholi tehsils of Rudraprayag district due to mudslides induced by heavy rainfall, officials said.
"A woman died, while eight others are missing in Chhenagarh area," said Rudraprayag district magistrate Prateek Jain, adding, "In the Chenagad market, debris filled the marketplace and several vehicles were swept away, while reports of missing people have been received from Chenagad Dugar village and Jaula Badeith."
The deceased has been identifed as Sarita Devi of Jakholi, said Jain. Four of the missing people have been identified as Sate Singh Negi, Kuldeep Singh Negi, Neeraj (SURNAME) and Raj Bugana, he added.
Over 200 people were shifted to safer areas from the disaster-hit places, said the DM, adding that a District Disaster Response Force (DDRF) team was also dispatched to the affected areas.
Meanwhile, two people were killed and three others reported missing after a cloudburst in Simoti village in Bageshwar, said SDRF commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi.
"Our efforts are under way to trace three missing persons along with NDRF, local police, fire service," he added.
In Udham Singh Nagar, 39-year-old Thagowati Devi of Kanjabagh village was killed after being struck by lightning on Friday morning, officials said, adding that meanwhile, a team of the SDRF rescued 34 people, including 21 schoolchildren, after they were stranded when a river near Maria School in Kunda suddenly swelled on Friday.
In Tehri Garhwal's Genwali village, a suspected cloudburst occurred around 3 am, about 500 metres inside the forest area, officials said, adding that several houses, public infrastructure, temples and farmland sustained severe damage.
Meanwhile, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held a high-level review meeting wherein he instructed the DMs of the affected areas over phone to ensure the immediate evacuation of people to safe locations....
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