By ARUN PRATAP SINGH
Garhwal Post Bureau
Uttarkashi, 29 Jun: A devastating cloudburst struck near Silai Band, located between Paligaon, Ojri and Dabarkot on the Yamunotri Highway, during the early hours this morning. The resulting flash floods and landslides claimed the lives of two labourers while seven others remain missing. The search is underway for the missing workers.
Upon receiving information about the incident, teams from the police, district administration, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) promptly reached the site and launched search operations for those reported missing.
The bodies of two labourers who went missing following the landslide were discovered nearly 18 kilometres away, near Tilari Shaheed Smarak along the banks of the Yamuna River. The police transported the bodies to the Naugaon Community Health Centre even as the search continues for the seven remaining labourers. Among the missing, five are of Nepalese origin, three hail from Dehradun and one from Uttar Pradesh.
Daily life in many parts of Uttarakhand has been thrown into disarray due to continuous rainfall. Rivers and streams are in spate, and numerous connecting roads have been repeatedly blocked by landslides and debris, severely hampering transport and communications across the region.
The Uttarkashi region has been experiencing incessant rainfall for the past two to three days. The excessive downpour that caused the cloudburst occurred late last night near Silai Bend in Barkot Tehsil. As soon as the alert was received, teams from the SDRF, police and revenue department reached the area and began search operations for the nine missing workers. It is believed the labourers were residing in tents at the site while working on road construction.
Rescue efforts are underway, and the Yamunotri National Highway near Silai Bend has been disrupted at two or three points due to the deluge. The National Highway department in Barkot has been informed of these obstructions. In Kuthanour, agricultural land belonging to villagers has also been badly damaged by the rainfall and accompanying cloudburst. However, no human or livestock casualties have been reported in Kuthanour, and the situation there is currently normal.
Elsewhere, the road near Ojri has been completely washed away by the rainfall, with nearby farmland buried beneath debris. Similarly, the road at Dabarkot is closed due to the accumulation of debris on the road. The Kupda Kunshala Trikhili Motor Bridge in Syanachatti has been rendered vulnerable, and a precarious situation persists in the region.
District Magistrate, Uttarkashi, Prashant Kumar Arya confirmed that nine labourers were reported missing after the landslide, which took place approximately 4 to 5 kilometres beyond Paligaon on the Yamunotri Highway, near Silai Bend. He added that relief and rescue operations are being carried out by teams from the police, SDRF, NDRF, revenue department, NH Barkot and the health department. A tent accommodating 19 labourers was buried under the landslide, of whom 10 have been rescued and relocated to a safe zone.
Efforts have been expedited to trace the remaining missing labourers. A section of the Yamunotri Highway, around 10 to 12 metres in length, has been washed away at Silai Bend, and road restoration work is currently underway. Officials have indicated that it may take some time to restore regular traffic movement. As a precaution, police have stopped pilgrims at secure points. The incident reportedly occurred around 3 a.m.
Sub-Inspector Vikram Singh, stationed at Dubata Bend, shared that the pilgrims are being informed about the situation and are being directed towards Gangotri. Presently, over a thousand pilgrims are stranded in the Yamunotri Dham area, particularly at Janki Chatti, Phoolchatti, Kharsali, Rana Chatti and Syana Chatti. Outpost In-charge Bhupendra Singh Rawat reported that, as the Janki Chatti to Yamunotri pedestrian route is functioning normally, pilgrims who had halted there since yesterday are now being allowed to continue to Yamunotri Dham.
The police administration has also arranged for food to be provided to the rescued labourers at Silai Bend on the Yamunotri Highway before assisting them in returning home. Outpost In-charge Kantiram Joshi of Paligaon stated that, out of the 19 labourers, 10 were safely brought to Paligaon. The nine missing workers include those whose bodies have now been recovered and identified as Kewal Thapa (aged 43), of Nepalese origin, and Duje Lal (aged 55), from Uttar Pradesh.
The remaining missing workers have been identified as Roshan Chaudhary (aged 40), Vimla Dhami (aged 36), Kalluram Chaudhary (aged 55), Bobby (aged 38), Chhotu (aged 22), Priyansh (aged 20) and Manish Dhami (aged 40). A search operation is underway to find them by the emergency response teams.
