Uttarakhand Rains: 2 Children Dead In Wall Collapse. Search For 20 Missing In Gaurikund Landslide Continues

A total of 23 individuals were reported missing following the landslip in Gaurikund, Rudraprayag.

Representational Image.

Source : PTI

Two children died after a wall of their house fell in Tehri on Sunday amid heavy rains in various parts of Uttarakhand, while rescuers searched for the 20 missing persons in the Gaurikund landslip event for the third day, news agency PTI reported. A total of 23 individuals were reported missing following the landslip in Gaurikund, Rudraprayag. On Friday, three bodies were retrieved from the rubble.

''The search operation was being carried out by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), SDRF, police and fire brigade teams in difficult circumstances. So far there is no clue of the missing,'' Rudraprayag's District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar was quoted by PTI in its report.

The search for the missing persons was underway from Dhari Devi to Kund Barrage on the Mandakini River's banks and the incident location.

According to Chamba Police Station Officer LS Butola, during the severe rains on Saturday and Sunday, the rear wall of Praveen Das's house fell at approximately 2 a.m., killing his two children Sneha (12) and Ranveer (12), who were sleeping in the room.

Premdas (60), who was sleeping with the children, had a slight leg injury.

In another incidence, Swati Jain, a 20-year-old Muzaffarnagar native, was saved by SDRF troops after being swept away in a river near Dehradun's Sahastradhara tourist destination.

''She was safely pulled out of the water and taken to the hospital,'' an official said.

Following the Rudraprayag incident, the local authority has begun identifying the dangerous roadside stores between Sonprayag and Gaurikund.

On Saturday, the Revenue Department dismantled some stores.

According to Jitendra Verma, Sub-Collector of Ukhimath, residents in Gaurikund are relocating their makeshift stores on the side of the road due to the fear of danger.

He stated that the administration categorises construction projects based on the level of risk they face.

The administration has removed four high-risk pucca dwellings, while additional temporary stores are being removed by their proprietors.