Rain Fury In Hills: Nearly 60 Dead In Himachal, Uttarakhand Chardham Yatra Halted — Top Points

Nearly 60 people have died in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh, a helicopter was deployed for evacuation in Uttarakhand's Madmaheshwar Valley as rain mayhem continues across the hill states.

Massive rains have triggered landslides forcing houses, temples and structures to collapse in the hill states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Reports of landslides from different parts in both states have been coming for the last several days. Many have died while authorities are still carrying out the operation to rescue residents in vulnerable areas. The landslide in Shimla's Summer Hill has killed 13 people while a search is underway for the remaining ones. The level of the Yamuna River also increased in Delhi on Tuesday raising concerns of a flood. Here are the top developments on the prevailing rain situation:

Top Developments

Himachal Pradesh Landslides

Around 60 people have died in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh. 13 bodies have been found so far in the Shima Summer Hill landslide incident. According to BS Rajput, 14 NDRF second in command, "... we have the proof of 21 victims here. Till yesterday (Tuesday) we recovered 12 bodies. Today we got one more body, so 13 bodies have been recovered. We are using specialised equipment other than heavy machinery. We can't confirm when will the search be over because the bodies in the down area are spread over at least 2 km and we can't use machines there so rescue has to be done manually."

Earlier, SDM Shimla (Urban) Bhanu Gupta said that locals confirmed the count that there could be 21 bodies. "Out of which, we have recovered 12 bodies in the last two days. Our search and rescue operation is going on. In our team, we have NDRF, SDRF, army, local police and home guard...If we get any positive news on some people being alive, we'll rescue them properly," he said.

Meanwhile, another massive landslide damaged several houses in Krishnanagar locality in Shimla on Tuesday.

Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu shared the visuals and said, "Horrifying visuals of another landslide that took place at Krishna Nagar-  Shimla today.  The residents of these houses were evacuated earlier this morning by the administration fearing landslide."

Informing about the rescue operation, CM Sukhu said that over 800 people have been evacuated from the low-lying areas of Kangra near the Pong Dam, "as their villages became inaccessible due to the elevated water level in the dam reservoir, evacuation operation is still on as more people are being evacuated," he added.

The Chief Minister also chaired a meeting to review the situation in the state on Tuesday. He said that the Himachal government is fully committed to expediting restoration efforts on a priority basis, reported PTI. He also directed the officials to swiftly restore electricity and water supply schemes.

Meanwhile, heavy downpours uprooted over 500 trees in Shimla's urban areas, posing challenges for locals. Sukhu directed the forest department to swiftly and properly dispose of the trees. The chief minister stressed on the reinforcement of drainage systems and the restoration of old drains in Shimla. He also ordered a detailed project report to be compiled on the proposal.

 

Uttarakhand Rain Mayhem 

Rudraprayag Police on Wednesday tweeted that operation to rescue people stranded at Madmaheshwar Valley began with the help of helicopter. "A temporary and optional helipad set up at Nanu where people are reaching on foot. They are being evacuated to Ransi village from where they are going ahead on foot," the tweet further read.

Meanwhile, the water level at Parmarth Niketan - Ganga Ghat slightly decreased. SDRF, DDRF teams have already arrived to rescue those stranded due to heavy rainfall in Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand.

As per PTI, four people died and nine others went missing on Monday as heavy rains pounded Uttarakhand, demolishing buildings and causing landslides that breached the national highways to Badrinath, Kedarnath and Gangotri shrines. This led to the suspension of Chardham yatra for two days. 

In Joshimath, one person died and three were rescued after a house collapsed in Chamoli district, officials said on Wednesday. According to SDRF, the incident occurred took place Helang village on the Badrinath highway between Pipalkoti and Joshimath on Tuesday late evening.

Kotwali Joshimath informed the SDRF that a two-storey house built near a crusher unit on the banks of the Alaknanda River had collapsed. Officials added that some locals feared being trapped under the debris. According to the SDRF, seven labourers were present in the house when the incident took place.

Delhi Yamuna Water Level

The water level in the Yamuna crossed the danger mark of 205.33 metres in Delhi on Tuesday, following torrential rain in the river's upper catchment areas over the past two days. The water level meanwhile, decreased to 205.12 metres as of 9 AM.