23 dead in Uttarakhand, Himachal cloudbursts, 800 pilgrims to be rescued today
At least 23 people — 15 in Uttarakhand and eight in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh — have died in cloudbursts and landslides.
In the twin Himalayan states as rescue operations to search for survivors intensified and more rainfall was predicted to lash the region in the next few days.
Rescuers deployed drones in Himachal Pradesh to access areas that were cut off due to landslides and debris after the cloudbursts on Thursday. The Indian Air Force (IAF) deployed Chinook and MI17 helicopters to evacuate 800 pilgrims stranded on the rain-ravaged trek route to Kedarnath. These pilgrims could be evacuated today if the weather permits.
HIMACHAL CLOUDBURSTS UPDATE
In Himachal Pradesh, three bodies were recovered, taking the overall death toll to eight. The cloudbursts triggered flash floods in Nirmand, Sainj and Malana areas in Kullu, Mandi’s Padhar and Shimla’s Rampur subdivision. Rescuers were racing against time to find 45 people who have gone missing following the cloudbursts.
According to the state emergency operation centre, 103 houses have been completely or partially damaged in the three districts besides six motorable and 32 foot bridges, shops, schools and vehicles in the past 36 hours.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu announced an immediate relief of Rs 50,000 for the victims and also said that they would be given Rs 5,000 a month for rent for the next three months along with gas, food and other essential items.
The meteorological office in Shimla on Friday issued a yellow alert for heavy rain, thunderstorm and lightning in isolated places in ten districts of Himachal Pradesh till August 6.
The weather department also cautioned of the possibility of landslides and flash floods in vulnerable areas and damage to plantations and standing crops and houses due to strong winds, and waterlogging in low-lying areas.
A total of 115 roads — 46 in Mandi, 38 in Kullu, 15 in Shimla, six each in Kangra and Sirmaur, three in Kinnaur and one in Lahaul and Spiti — were closed for vehicular traffic following heavy rainfall in the state.
According to the state emergency operation centre, 225 transformers and 111 water supply schemes have been affected.
The Himachal Roads Transport Corporation (HRTC) has suspended bus services on 82 out of the total 3,612 routes, Managing Director Rohan Chand Thakur said.
Meanwhile, eight school children are missing from Rampur Samej village in Himachal Pradesh, according to school principal Arvind. Of the eight missing, seven are girls and one is a boy. The students were local residents and badminton and volleyball players.
UTTARAKHAND CLOUDBURSTS UPDATE
In Uttarakhand, 15 people have died due to cloudbursts in Kedarnath, Tehri, Chamoli, Dehradun and Haridwar districts. So far, 7,234 pilgrims have been rescued from the route to Kedarnath, whose yatra has been suspended due to a cloudburst.
The Kedarnath rescue operations are set to resume today as soon as the weather improves, with the goal of clearing out all remaining stranded pilgrims. Over 800 stranded pilgrims in Kedarnath are scheduled to be airlifted and manually rescued today.
The IAF’s Chinook and MI17 helicopters have been pressed into service and NDRF, SDRF and Uttarakhand Police officials are actively involved in rescuing the pilgrims and searching for missing people.
According to authorities, food and water have been supplied to the stranded pilgrims, who are safely sheltered in relief camps in Kedarnath, Bheembali and Gaurikund posts.
The death toll rose to 15 after one person drowned in an overflowing river in Dehradun on Friday and another body was recovered from Rudraprayag last evening.
Since July 31, over 300 roads have been blocked, including one national highway. Efforts are underway to clear the blocked routes, with 191 road closures still pending. A massive operation involving 340 JCBs and Pokland machines has been deployed to restore access and ensure connectivity.
A total of 712 houses have been partially damaged due to cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides. Out of these, 146 houses have been severely damaged, while 14 houses have been completely destroyed.
The weather office has issued a heavy rainfall alert for Chamoli and Bageshwar districts as well as intense rainfall in Nainital, Champawat and Udham Singh Nagar districts for Saturday.