Search operations continued today despite bad weather to trace ten persons, including 6 Army personnel, who went missing after two cloudbursts in Pithoragarh district.
The cloudbursts triggered by torrential rains in Tawaghat and Malpa areas of Dharchula sub-division in the early hours yesterday had claimed six lives and left 10 missing.
The debris, mostly mud and slush, which gushed into Tawaghat and Malpa after the cloudbursts was being constantly removed but continuing rain hampered the operations, District Disaster Management officer R S Rana said over phone.
The SDRF, the ITBP, the state police and Army personnel were busy in the relief and rescue operations, he said.
One cloudburst had occurred near Tawaghat, sending a rivulet, the Mangti Nullah, into a spate and its swirling waters swept away a few shops and three Army tents.
Two bodies were recovered from the spot, while eight persons--five Army jawans, a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and two locals--were missing.
The second cloudburst also occurred at around the same time at Malpa and swept away six persons. Rescue teams recovered four bodies from the area while two were still missing.
Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat had also undertaken an aerial survey of the affected areas yesterday to assess the extent of damage and directed the disaster management department to prepare an action plan in view of the sensitivity of these areas to natural disasters.
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