Landslide in Uttarakhand Caused by Cloudburst Leaves 2 Dead and 1 Injured

Dehradun:

A cloudburst led to the death of two individuals at Ghansali in Uttarakhand’s Tehri district as heavy rains throughout Wednesday caused destruction across the state.

The deceased have been identified as Bhanu Prasad, 50, and his wife Neelam Devi, 45. Their 28-year-old son Vipin sustained injuries after an eatery and a culvert near the Nautar stream washed away due to the cloudburst in Ghansali’s Jakhanyali.

A cloudburst also occurred near the Bhim Bali stream along the Kedarnath walking path, causing a landslide that damaged about 25 meters of the path. The temporary closure of the path left nearly 200 pilgrims stranded in Bhim Bali.

Emergency services, including SDRF, district police, and local officials, hurried to the scene following the cloudburst and moved the stranded pilgrims to a safer location. No casualties have been reported yet in Bhim Bali cloudburst incident.

The continuous rainfall led to a sudden increase in the Mandakini River’s water level after which the authorities evacuated the Gaurikund temple and people were relocated to a safer place.

The NDRF, SDRF, police, and other emergency services, including hospitals, are on high alert.

Rudraprayag District Magistrate Saurabh Gaharwar stated that there was an occurrence of cloudburst at Bhim Bali on the Kedarnath walking path, causing a landslide that damaged about 20-25 meters of the path. About 200 pilgrims have been securely housed at Bhimbali GMVN. There is no loss of life.

The water level of Mandakini river is rising rapidly due to which Gauri Mata temple in Gaurikund has been evacuated and devotees have been shifted to a safer location, he added.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has communicated with the Disaster Management Secretary regarding the heavy rains in various areas of the state and assessed relief and rescue operations.