Monday, 23 December 2024
Monday, 23 December 2024
Two cloudbursts hit Himachal, at least three dead, 40 missing
At least three people were killed and about 40 went missing after two separate incidents of cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh where rains washed away many houses and roads and left two hydro power projects damaged, officials told PTI. Roads have been washed away, and a hydropower project in the area has also been damaged, deputy commissioner Anupam Kashyap told PTI. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), state police, and home guards have been deployed for rescue operations. Drones are being used to locate the missing people, Kashyap said.
Heavy rains in Uttarakhand kill at least seven people
Seven people, including three from one family, died and many were injured in Uttarakhand due to heavy rains, officials told PTI on Thursday. The rains caused houses to collapse, areas to flood, and water levels in several rivers to rise. Additionally, four people went missing in Dehradun, Haldwani, and Chamoli because of rain-related incidents. In Dehradun's Raipur area, two individuals were swept away by an overflowing canal; one body has been found, and the search for the other is ongoing, according to the disaster control room.
In Devchauli in Chamoli district, a woman and a child are missing since Wednesday evening after a house collapsed, they told PTI. A State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team has left for the spot.
Nearly a dozen four-wheelers parked along the riverbed of the Sukhi in Haridwar's Kharkhari area were washed away following torrential rain on Wednesday evening. Teams of the NDRF, SDRF, and the administration have been deployed in affected areas of the state, the officials said. Disaster secretary Vinod Kumar Suman told PTI 200 passengers stranded on the Kedarnath route due to falling stones and the washing away of a 20-25 metre footpath near the Bhimbali Chowki have been moved to safer places.
In Bharpur village in the Bahadarabad area of Haridwar district, three people were killed, and as many injured after a house collapsed due to heavy rain, police told PTI. Three members of a family — Bhanu Prasad (50), his wife Neelam Devi (45), and son Vipin (28) were killed in a landslide following a cloudburst in Jakhanyali village of Tehri district's Ghansali area, the officials told PTI.
Flooding in Haridwar after heavy rains
In Kharkhari, a truck carrying rations and essentials for a group of Kanwar Yatra pilgrims was among the vehicles washed away. No one was in the truck when the incident took place on Wednesday. Roads were submerged in many areas of Haridwar, and the rainwater also entered the Kankhal police station. Many colonies and markets of Bhupatwala, Haridwar, Naya Haridwar, Kankhal, and Jwalapur also got flooded.
A house collapsed due to heavy rain in Talla village of Pithoragarh district. Three more houses in the village were damaged.
Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has spoken to the disaster management secretary and taken updates on the affected areas and relief and rescue measures. Following the instructions issued by the chief minister, teams of the district administration, NDRF, and SDRF are on alert.
Dhami has appealed to people to leave their homes only when necessary. "The safety of people and visitors coming to the state is our top priority," he told PTI.
Heavy rains in Delhi, schools closed
Delhi education minister Atishi announced late Wednesday night that all schools in the city, both private and government, will remain closed on Thursday. Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar area, where three students died due to flooding in the basement of a coaching centre last week, was again submerged following heavy rain on Wednesday evening with commuters wading through waterlogged lanes and fearing for their safety. Several videos surfaced of the flood-like situation on the stretch that is lined with many coaching centres. TV channels reported three deaths in rain-related incidents.
More rain expected in Delhi on Thursday
More rains are expected in Delhi on Thursday, a day after heavy showers inundated large parts of the city. The Salwan station in East Delhi’s Mayur Vihar area recorded 147.5 mm of rainfall from 8.30 am on Wednesday till 7.15 am on Thursday, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The Najafgarh station recorded 113 mm of rainfall, and the Lodhi Road, Delhi University, and Safdarjung observatories recorded 107.5 mm, 104.5 mm, and 105.6 mm of rainfall, respectively, it said. In a post on X (Formerly Twitter), the Delhi police have asked commuters to avoid Mundka as there is heavy waterlogging in the area. "Traffic is affected on Rohtak Road in the carriageway from Nangloi towards Tikri Border and vice -versa due to heavy waterlogging and potholes on the road in Mundka. Kindly avoid Mundka and take alternate routes accordingly," the post said.
