Heavy rains triggered a massive landslide in Uttarakhand, leading to closure of the highway connecting Nainital to Rampur and affecting supplies to this popular tourist town.
National highway 87 connecting Nainital to Rampur remained closed the whole day since early morning due to massive landslide as a consequence of heavy rain near Do Gaon, 25 Km from here.
Traffic was diverted to Nainital via Bhimtal with a detour of 25 extra kilometres. However, traffic on this road was also disrupted for few hours as there was a landslide on this route too near Salari.
Milk and newspaper supply was affected and reached the tourist town in the afternoon only via Kaladhungi route, District Magistrate Deepak Rawat said.
He along with PWD officials reached the scene of landslide and ordered those concerned to open the road at the earliest.
Earth movers were employed but the rock could not be moved. Later more machines were employed to break the rock.
Since yesterday, Nainital has received 218 mm of rainfall affecting normal life.
(Reopens CES6)
The landslide also damaged or exposed at least 19
graves at Khatla cemetery here.
Khatla local council sources said the bones in the graves were being collected by local volunteers and reburied in a mass grave at a nearby place inside the cemetery. Prayers were offered by a church elder.
The cemetery had earlier been badly damaged by landslide in September 1997 when 68 graves were destroyed, they added.
