By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 19 Jul: Three people are reported dead after the cloudburst incident that occurred late last night in the three villages of Mando, Kankrari and Nirkot in district Uttarkashi. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered payment of relief as per the norms to the affected families at the earliest.
NDRF, SDRF and STF and the local police teams have reached the affected villages and are engaged in rescue and relief operations. The affected villages have witnessed landslides and debris accumulation. The sight at ground zero this morning was very scary. Many houses have been damaged due to large amount of debris having fallen from the hills. At least 9 houses are reported to be badly damaged. It is feared that more persons and vehicles could be trapped in the debris of the collapsed or damaged houses. Three persons, including two women and one girl, were reported to have died after being trapped in the debris that fell from the hills.
According to the local villagers, the cloudburst occurred around 8:30 p.m. last night. All the three dead are from one family. According to the eyewitnesses, it was raining heavily when the cloudburst occurred and a huge amount of water, silt and debris flowed into the houses of the village. As it had been raining heavily, most villagers were at home and many are feared trapped.
In addition to this incident affecting the three villages in district Uttarkashi, heavy rains have been reported from across the state and reports of damage and destruction are being received from several places. Reports of house damage due to heavy rains this morning were also received from Medh village of Bhilangana area of district Tehri, though no report of casualties has been received.
It may be recalled that an Orange Alert had been issued in Uttarakhand by the Meteorological Department. The rains are likely to continue for some more days according to the Director of the State Weather Centre, Vikram Singh.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has expressed grief over the incident of cloudburst in villages Nirakot, Kankaradi, Mando of Uttarkashi district and has prayed for peace to the departed souls. After coming to know of the incident, the CM called up District Magistrate, Uttarkashi, and sought details of the incident. He also directed the district administration to ensure relief and rescue work on top priority. The Chief Minister said that the permissible relief grant be released to the affected families without any delay. In addition, Dhami has directed all the district magistrates to remain alert in view of the excessive rainfall occurring at various places in the state. He asked them to ensure quick response in case of any calamity.
