Dehra Dun: At least 11 people were killed and 14 others were trapped under debris as landslides triggered by heavy rains struck Uttarakhand destroying scores of houses in several villages of the hill state.
The worst-affected area was Avalbagh block of Almora district where several villages were hit by heavy landslides killing six people and trapping 14 others under the debris in two villages, District Magistrate Almora Subardhan said.
Five people were killed when their house was flattened by heavy landslips at Pilkha village this afternoon and in nearby Devali village, a total of 15 persons were trapped under the debris of collapsed houses. So far, one body has been recovered from Devali. Two houses also collapsed at Balta village in the area.
Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has asked the district administration to provide relief measures in the area.
Subardhan said police personnel, along with high-ranking officers, have rushed to Avalbagh area to supervise search and rescue operations. An alert has been sounded in the whole district.
Five members of a family, including 4 children, were buried alive and two injured in a house collapse at Haridwar district as heavy rains continued to lash most parts of Uttarakhand throwing life out of gear. The incident of house collapse took place when the family was asleep at Ibrahimpur village in the district.
While Ashish (15), Shubham (11), Shashi (10) and Kamal (3) and their mother Sanyogita (35) were killed on the spot, their father Kaliram (42) and sister Anjali (12) injured seriously, Disaster Management and Mitigation Centre said here. The two injured have been referred to government Doon hospital in view of their serious condition, they said.
The Chief Minister visited the Ibrahimpur village to take stock of the situation this afternoon.
Most parts of the state received heavy rains with Sitarganj getting a maximum of 193mm of rainfall, followed by Haldwani 160mm, Pantnagar 116mm.
Met Director Anand Sharma said more rains are expected to lash the state in the next 36 hours with the department issuing a warning of heavy rains at some places that might also trigger landslides.
The widespread rains have also broken the 39-year-old record for Dehra Dun which has so far received 2,810 mm of rainfall since June 1 this year, he said. In 1971, Dehra Dun had recorded 2,763mm of rains.
The incessant rains for the past 24 hours have also disrupted the annual Chardham pilgrimage with national highways and roads linking to them were hit by landslides at a number of places. PTI
