Uttarakhand Floods and Landslides: Devastation and Rescue Operations Amidst Torrential Rains

Heavy rains in Uttarakhand have caused significant flooding and landslides, resulting in 14 deaths and 10 injuries. The Kedarnath Yatra pilgrimage has been suspended, and rescue operations are underway. Numerous incidents, including house collapses, drownings, and electrocuting accidents, have added to the toll. Authorities remain on high alert.

Fourteen people lost their lives and ten more were injured in Uttarakhand as torrential overnight rains triggered floods and house collapses, causing rivers to swell, officials confirmed on Thursday.

Authorities have temporarily suspended the Kedarnath Yatra pilgrimage to ensure the safety of devotees, citing landslides blocking trek routes in several locations including Ghoraparav, Lincholi, and Bhimbali.

A child remains missing after being swept away in a flooded drain in Haldwani, as reported by the State Emergency Operation Centre. Efforts to locate him are ongoing.

Wednesday night's heavy rains washed away part of a road in Bhimbali on the Gaurikund-Kedarnath trek route, obstructed by large stones from hillside collapses.

Rescue teams have evacuated 425 pilgrims by helicopter from Lincholi and Bhimbali, and aided 1,100 pilgrims in reaching Sonprayag on foot. Since Wednesday evening, 14 people have perished in rain-related calamities: four in Dehradun, six in Haridwar, three in Tehri, and one in Chamoli.

Dehradun Sr. Superintendent of Police Ajay Singh reported two drownings in a canal in Raipur. The deceased were identified as Sundar Singh and Arjun Singh Rana. In another incident, two people were swept away while bathing in a river near Sahasradhara parking; their bodies were later recovered.

In Roorkee's Bharpur village, a house collapse due to incessant rains resulted in four fatalities and 10 injuries, eight of which are critical. Additionally, two people were electrocuted at Roorkee bus stand late Wednesday.

Three family members died during a landslide-induced house collapse following a cloudburst in Tehri district's Ghansali area; another individual died in a separate landslide incident in Chamoli district.

At the time of reporting, emergency teams are searching for a missing seven-year-old swept away in Haldwani. Meteorological data indicates significant rainfall impacting several areas, leading Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to direct heightened vigilance and coordinated rescue efforts.

Dhami, who reviewed the situation at the State Emergency Operations Centre, advised Kedarnath-bound pilgrims in Rudraprayag to await further advisories regarding weather and road conditions. Both Mandakini and Alaknanda rivers are near-danger levels.

(With inputs from agencies.)