250 pilgrims stranded on Kedarnath route, heavy rain claims 11 lives in Uttarakhand
After heavy rain in Uttarakhand washes away a part of the road on the Kedarnath Yatra route, 200 pilgrims were rescued via helicopter from Lincholli. Efforts are on to rescue the others, officials said.
Gaurikund footbpath damaged due to cloud-burst in Lincholi, Rambada. (PTI Photo) (PTI08_01_2024_000041B) At least 11 people were killed in Uttarakhand in the last 24 hours amid heavy rain even as authorities rescued 200 of the 450 pilgrims stranded on the Kedarnath Yatra route, officials said on Thursday.
In Haridwar, four people, including Aas Mohammad, 10, and Nagma, 8, died after a house in the city’s Dera Basti area collapsed on Wednesday night. While six people have suffered serious injuries, two others have suffered minor injuries in the incident.
In another incident, two people died after being electrocuted at Roorkee city bus station in Haridwar district.
In Tehri Garhwal district, three people died after a cloudburst in Ghansali tehsil led to a hotel near Gadera being washed away on Wednesday night. While the bodies of two people were recovered on Wednesday night, another injured died during treatment at a local hospital, officials said.
Arjun Singh Rana, 55, and Sundar Singh, 35, were swept away in a drain near the Ordnance Factory in Dehradun amid the heavy rainfall late Wednesday night, officials said.
In Nainital, local police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) launched a search operation after receiving information that Rizwan, 7, had been swept away in a drain on Wednesday.
According to information received from the District Emergency Operation Centre, about 450 Kedarnath pilgrims were stopped at the Bhimbali Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) complex and police post due to road damage around 70 meters ahead of Bhimbali Chowki. By 11.45 am on Thursday, 200 pilgrims were rescued from Lincholli via helicopter. The remaining 250 are being rescued, officials said.
With the water level of the Mandakini River increasing in Sonprayag, people living on the riverbank were shifted.
Three houses in Thati village were evacuated due to heavy rain in the Budha Kedar area.
In another incident in Chamoli, a house collapsed at Belchori and a woman and a child were missing. An SDRF team has left for the spot.
“Relief and rescue operations are being conducted in Rambada, Bhimbali, Jakhaniyali and other affected areas. I am taking information about the situation by talking to the administration as well as local public representatives. I have instructed the local administration to assess the damage and ensure immediate action,” Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on Thursday.
“The safety of every resident of the state and the devotees and tourists coming from other states is our priority, for which our entire team is working with promptness. All of you are requested to travel only after taking information about the weather and situation,” Dhami added in a statement.
Dhami had earlier appealed to people to stay indoors and only leave their houses if necessary.
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