Uttarakhand floods: Hyderabad resident among 3 killed in landslide near Ganga; flash floods wreak havoc

Rishikesh: Three people were killed and three others were missing after a vehicle hit by a landslide fell into the Ganga River in Tehri Garhwal district, Uttarakhand on Sunday. Officials said the victims were residents of Delhi, Bihar, and Hyderabad.

The vehicle was carrying 11 people, including the driver. Five of them were rescued and admitted to a government hospital in Rishikesh. They were on their way to Rishikesh from Kedarnath.

According to the police, the accident took place in the Muni ki Reti area on the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway. The driver lost control of the car after it was hit by a landslide. It then skidded off the road and fell into the Ganga River, inspector Ritesh Shah, in charge of Muni ki Reti police station, said.

Personnel of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and local police reached the spot and started rescue and relief operations, Shah said. Inspector Kavendra Sajwan of the SDRF said three bodies have been recovered from the river while a team of divers is searching for other passengers.

Uttarakhand CM asks tourists to plan per weather conditions

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami urged pilgrims visiting the state to plan their travel only after getting the latest weather information to avoid any inconvenience.

He asked people to be vigilant of landslides due to heavy rains and overflowing rivers.

Due to bad weather and excessive rainfall, incidents of landslides, road closures and overflowing rivers and streams were reported. Instructions were given to all district magistrates and the Disaster Management Department to remain alert, he said.

Five killed as heavy rains lash Himachal

Heavy rains pounded Himachal Pradesh, triggering landslides, damaging houses and leaving five people dead. Three members of a family were killed in a house collapse following a landslide due to rains in the Kotgarh area of Shimla district. The deceased were identified as Anil, his wife Kiran and his son Swapnil.

A landslide also damaged a makeshift house near Kullu town, leaving a woman dead. In another incident, a person was buried alive following a landslide in the Katiyan tehsil of Chamba on Saturday night.

13 landslides in 36 hours

Thirteen landslides and nine flash floods have been reported in the state in the past 36 hours, according to the state emergency operation centre.

As many as 736 roads have been closed for traffic while 1,743 transformers and 138 water supply schemes were affected on Sunday morning.

National Highway 21 is blocked at 6 Mile (name of the place). This is the same place where the commuters were struck for almost 24 hours on June 27 last year due to a landslide. Mandi-Kullu road via Kamand was also blocked near Ghoda farm. The Manali-Chandigarh also caved in near Manali.

Reports of shops being swept away in Manali, vehicles being washed away in flash floods at Nullah in Kullu, Kinnaur and Chamba and loss to agricultural land have also poured in. Several roads have also been closed in Shimla districts.

All the major rivers, including Ravi, Beas, Satluj, and Chenab, are in spate and tourists and commuters have been asked to avoid travelling during heavy rains and not to venture out near river bodies.

Deputy Commissioner Kullu, Ashutosh Garg said the Kullu-Manali road is blocked at several places due to landslides and rock falling and Beas River is in spate near Ramshela and traffic has been halted from Kullu to Manali and Manali to Atal Tunnel.

He said landslides have also occurred on Mandi-Kullu road and only emergency vehicles are allowed on this stretch. The administration has asked the tourists and residents to avoid venturing out in heavy rains.

All the trains between UNESCO heritage Shimla and Kalka track have been cancelled as landslides and falling of trees blocked the railway track at many places.

Four tourists had a narrow escape on Saturday night as a stone fell on their vehicle near Chadol on the Chandigarh-Manali highway. The tourists were on their way to Manali when the incident occurred and were rescued by the locals.

Thirty college students stranded between Gramphu and Chota Dharra on Sundo-kaza-Gramphu (National Highway 505) following a road block due to landslide and flash floods at several places were rescued by the Lahaul and Spiti authorities on Saturday night.

A 50-year-old bridge in Aut of Mandi district collapsed in the Beas River in Himachal Pradesh.

Heavy rainfall

Heavy to extremely heavy rains lashed several parts of the state in the past 24 hours. The local Met office issued a red alert of extremely heavy rains (above 204 mm) in seven districts of the state for July 8 and 9.

It has also cautioned of high flash flood risk over a few watersheds in Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Shimla, Sirmaur and Mandi districts.

Inputs from PTI