New Delhi : Heavy rain continued to lash Uttarakhand on Wednesday as rescue operations were ongoing on a war footing after a devastating cloudburst struck the ecologically fragile Uttarkashi district. The disaster unfolded after a cloudburst in the catchment area of the Kheer Ganga river, which sent a ferocious wave of water, slush, and debris crashing down the hillsides.
Visuals from Dharali, a tourist spot dotted with hotels and homestays, showed torrents of water gushing through the village, burying nearly half of it under rubble and sludge. Another wave of destruction surged down the opposite side of the hill towards Sukki village, officials said. Rescue teams battled through heavy rain, hazardous terrain, and multiple road blockages to reach affected areas.
In light of the severe weather warning, schools and colleges in Dehradun, Nainital, Tehri, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Champawat, Pauri, Almora, and Bageshwar districts will remain closed. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who cut short a visit to Andhra Pradesh, returned to Dehradun and held an emergency review meeting last evening.
Landslides have blocked 163 roads across the state, including five national highways, seven state highways, and two border roads, impeding access for rescue personnel to the remote affected area, roughly 140 km from the state capital, Dehradun. In response to the catastrophe, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has decided to deploy its first-ever team of cadaver dogs to assist in locating those feared dead. A pair of these specialised dogs will be airlifted from Delhi.
Three NDRF teams, each comprising 35 rescuers, have already been dispatched to the incident site from various locations within Uttarakhand, with two more teams awaiting airlift from the Dehradun airport. The incessant rain has also caused rivers to swell across the state. In Rudraprayag district, the Alaknanda river is flowing close to the danger mark, leading to the temporary postponement of the Kedarnath Dham pilgrimage for safety reasons. The Gomti and Sarayu rivers are in spate in Bageshwar,, and persistent downpour has been reported in Kotdwar and other hilly areas.
Read Also : Uttarkashi Cloudburst: Rescue Teams Race to Save Lives in Stricken Dharali Village
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