)
Floods caused by incessant rains, with cloudbursts and landslides over 48 hours, today wrought havoc in the hill states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand in the north.
In Uttarakhand, 25 died and 50 are missing. In Himachal Pradesh, 10 are reported killed in landslides. The tribal Kinnaur district in Himachal was the worst hit with nine persons dead in landslides, which blocked important roads, leaving Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh stranded in Sangla Valley.
A total of 50 were feared drowned in the swollen Mandakini river at Rambara market area in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district yesterday night.
“There was a police message that 50 were caught unaware at the Rambara market area, where the river water suddenly gushed in and washed away the area completely,” said Inspector-General (IG) R S Meena.
In other parts of the state, 25 people were killed in landslides, flash floods and house collapses, with Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna saying a total of 35,000 pilgrims were stranded in the Char Dham tourist circuit.
A high alert has been issued and the Chardham yatra to the pilgrimage centres of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri has been suspended, officials said.
Indian Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police jawans are assisting the state police in relief and rescue operations. Hundreds of Badrinath pilgrims were rescued by the army from Govindghat of Chamoli district. An army statement here said further evacuation attempts have been hampered by extensive landslides. Food, medical aid and shelter have been provided to hundreds of pilgrims in the area, the statement said.
The army has sent a dozen reconnaissance parties to inaccessible areas for obtaining first hand information.
Most of the rivers in the state, including Ganga, Kosi and Kali were flowing above the danger mark.
The chief minister, who cancelled his proposed foreign trip to London, said he was keeping a close watch on the situation and would soon travel to the affected areas.
In Himachal Pradesh, 10 people have been killed by landslides triggered by incessant heavy rains and snow.
Five members of a family, including three children, were buried alive when boulders fell on their house while five others were killed in landslides in three other places.
Hundreds of people, including Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh have been stranded in remote areas of the state.
Singh had gobe to the Sangla valley in the tribal border district of Kinnaur to campaign for the Mandi Lok Sabha by-elections. Bad weather thwarted efforts to evacuate Singh, Chief Secretary S Roy said.
Kinnaur district was cut off from the state from Tapri onwards as most of the approach roads and Hindustan-Tibet national highway was blocked at several places due to landslides and about 1,700 persons were stranded.
