Uttarakhand rain: Death toll rises to 52 as heavy rains batter state, CM Dhami says ‘massive damage’

By Team NewsableFirst Published Oct 20, 2021, 12:47 PM IST
Highlights

The state has been devastated with flooded roads and buildings, destroyed bridges and overflowing water bodies leaving locals and tourists stranded - some in remote and dangerous locations.

Heavy rainfall in Uttarakhand for the fourth consecutive day has led to chaos and disaster across the hilly state, even as the death toll due to incessant rains rose to 52 and several dozen people have been reported missing.

The state has been devastated with flooded roads and buildings, destroyed bridges and overflowing water bodies leaving locals and tourists stranded - some in remote and dangerous locations.

Out of the 46 deaths in Uttarakhand, 28 casualties were reported in Nainital alone, making it one of the worst-hit areas of the state.

Several parts of Uttarakhand, including Nainital, have been cut-off and made inaccessible by the rest of the state after the heavy rainfalls triggered a series of landslides.

Meanwhile, rescue operations by disaster response teams are underway in the state. Rescue operations are being carried out in the state by the Indian Army, National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF), and local authorities.

Also read: Kerala: IMD issues Orange alert in 11 districts as torrential rain continues to batter state

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) in its forecast has said that rainfall will reduce significantly from Wednesday, with the state likely to stay dry for the rest of the week.

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the rains have brought massive damage" across the state due to the record-breaking rainfall this week.

Dhami said there is "massive damage" across Uttarakhand due to the record-breaking rainfall this week. "There has been massive damage. It will take time to return to normalcy. Roads were washed away, there were landslides, rivers changed their routes, villages were affected, bridges collapsed," he explained, reported ANI.

"We want to clear blocked roads first. Water has entered houses, local admin has been asked to make arrangements to ensure people don't lack food and water. Rs 10 crore each has been sanctioned for all DMs as relief fund," Dhami added.

He also said that the state government has prioritised rescuing tourists who are stranded after the heavy rains, and the "situation is slowly becoming normal at Char Dham Yatra", reported PTI. The CM had on Tuesday appealed to tourists to stay put until the rain subsided.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to go to Dehradun this evening to take stock of the situation, according to a report in PTI.

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