Uttarakhand rain havoc: Incessant downpour claims 24 lives; IMD issues red alert with forecast of more rain
Uttarakhand has come to a halt due to heavy rainfall and all exit and entry points are blocked as the three roads leading to the hill station have been blocked due to a series of landslides.
FollowIndia Meteorological Department issued a red alert for Uttarakhand with a forecast of heavy to very heavy rainfall in the state and heavy rainfall has been predicted for the next few days.
The rains have led to scenes of chaos and disaster across the hilly state and incessant rain claimed 19 more lives in Uttarakhand, taking the death toll to 24 on Tuesday, with 13 fatalities reported from the Nainital district.
Nainital, a popular tourist destination, has been cut-off from the rest of the state as three roads leading to the town have been blocked following landslides.
The Kumaon region has been badly affected where houses have been razed to the ground and leaving many trapped in the debris.
Uttarakhand has come to a halt due to heavy rainfall and all exit and entry points are blocked as the three roads leading to the hill station have been blocked due to a series of landslides.
Amid continuous heavy rains, a bridge over Gaula River in Haldwani was partially damaged. Roads and buildings flooded have been submerged, bridges destroyed, and rivers are overflowing at dangerous levels.
The Chardham Devasthanam Board has temporarily halted the Char Dham Yatra in view of the heavy rain alert issued by the Uttarakhand meteorological department for October 17-19.
Also read: Uttarakhand rain: PM Modi dials CM Pushkar Dhami, cloudburst in Nainital, Char Dham Yatra halted
Images and videos of the floods circulated on social media show frightening scenes.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed 10 teams in affected districts of Uttarakhand. One team each has been deployed in Pithoragarh, Haridwar, Dehradun, Almora, while two teams each have been deployed in Chamoli, Uttarkashi and Gadapur.
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have been briefed on the current situation in Uttarakhand. Houses, bridges etc have been damaged in many places.
He confirmed that 16 people have died so far in the state. The Uttarakhand CM assured that three Army helicopters will soon arrive to assist in relief and rescue operations.
The Chief Minister appealed to people to not panic as the administration will evacuate all the stranded people and urged to Char Dham pilgrims to stay where they are before the weather improved.
