Rain-related incidents kill 60 across Uttarakhand this monsoon

Rain-related incidents have killed at least 60 people in Uttarakhand this monsoon, the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) said here on Monday. All 13 districts of the state were affected with Uttarkashi reporting the highest number of casualties.

Twenty people were killed in Uttarkashi district, including the three on board a private helicopter which crashed during rescue operations near Moldi on August 21. Chamoli reported 15 deaths, Tehri five, Rudraparayag and Pauri four each, Nainital and Pithoragarh three each, US Nagar and Bageshwar two each, Dehradun and Haridwar one each, the SEOC said updating the overall figures for this season since June 15.

Rescue operations are still on in the affected areas of Uttarkashi and the figures are subjected to revision, the SEOC said. As many as 396 animals were also killed while the number of houses damaged in cloudbursts and landslides was 457 apart from 39 cowsheds, it said.

Forty-nine houses were fully destroyed, 151 severely and 257 partially damaged, it said.