Uttarakhand, Himachal Search For Cloudburst Survivors, Brace For More Rain

Dehradun/Shimla:

Cloudbursts in the twin Himalayan states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh have claimed over a dozen lives since yesterday as rescuers scrambled this morning to search for survivors in the mountains.

The two states brace for more rain today amid concerns that the showers may hamper rescue work.

The inclement weather has forced people to relocate to higher reaches while the centre has assured all possible help to the two states. NDRF, SDRF, ITBP as well as Army personnel have been deployed for rescue.

In Uttarakhand, at least 13 bodies have been recovered while 16 others remain missing.

An orange alert for heavy rain has been sounded in Uttar Kashi district, which shares a boundary with Himachal’s Shimla. A yellow alert – forecasting moderate rain – is in place in the remaining 12 districts of Uttarakhand.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami conducted an aerial survey of the rain-hit areas yesterday.

Authorities have suspended the Kedarnath Yatra for at least three days due to broken roads at multiple points. As many as 450 people were rescued from the yatra route last night while the total rescue figure stands at 2,200. At least 1,300 pilgrims remain stranded as the cloudburst washed away roads.

The Sonprayag-Gaurikund road remains blocked and rescue operations had to be stopped due to a landslide in Sonprayag. Army and civil aviation helicopters both have deployed for the search and rescue work.

In neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, the situation isn’t any better. Cloudbursts were reported in three districts yesterday – Shimla, Mandi, and Kullu. Five people have died in related incidents while search operations have resumed for 49 missing persons this morning.

Three national highways as well as 450 other roads remain closed in the state.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who has been holding high-level meetings will today visit Rampur in Shimla where houses were swept away yesterday.

A red alert is in place in the state for the next 24 hours and the state government has directed officials in the affected areas to stay on alert.

Rescue operation is also underway in Malana where several people are trapped in a tunnel.