The death toll in Uttarakhand rose to 68 on Friday amid massive rescue efforts following inclement weather earlier this week. Rescue operations are underway to locate the missing members of two trekking groups near Harsil and Lamkhaga Pass.
“The bodies of seven trekkers have been recovered. Out of the group of 11 trekkers who went missing in Harsil, two have been rescued and two are missing. Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar told ANI that five more bodies of another group of 11 trekkers who went missing near Lamkhaga Pass have also been recovered.
Heavy rains lashed Uttarakhand for almost three days starting Sunday night, causing floods, landslides and massive property damage, especially in the Kumaon hills. Since then the rain has stopped. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted dry weather across the state on Saturday.
65 trekkers rescued near Pindari and Kafni glaciers in Bageshwar
The State Disaster Response Force was successful in rescuing 65 trekkers, including six foreigners, stranded near Pindari and Kafni glaciers in Bageshwar. Another 23 were also rescued from Darma Ghati of Pithoragarh.
Bageshwar DM Vineet Kumar told PTI, SDRF teams have rescued 42 tourists, including six foreigners, from Dwali near Pindari glacier and 23 tourists from Kafni glacier.
Uttarakhand: Indian Army jawan rescues a child and villagers trapped in flood waters in Tanakpur, Uttarakhand. (PTI photo)
Few deaths left out of state toll
Apart from two other members of the Chitkul trek killed, the state’s death toll does not include the five people who died in Bageshwar.
Rs 2,000 crore loss due to 3 days of record rain in Kumaon
Divisional commissioner Sushil Kumar told PTI that there has been a loss of Rs 2,000 crore due to heavy rains in the Kumaon region.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had said on Thursday that incessant rains in Uttarakhand have caused a loss of Rs 7,000 crore across the state.
“Kumaon division had to bear the brunt of unseasonal rains, causing damage to crops and property worth Rs 2,000 crore, besides causing maximum number of deaths and massive damage to houses,” the Kumaon divisional commissioner said.
Two members of an 11-person trekking team were found dead
Two more members of the trekking team of 11 who went missing were found dead on Friday. Two members of the team were rescued alive on Thursday. They are injured and are undergoing treatment in Harsil and Uttarkashi, an official said. He went missing while on a journey to Chitkul in Himachal Pradesh while being Harshil in Uttarkashi.
Nainital: The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is evacuating stranded tourists from the landslide-hit Khairna area following heavy rains in Nainital. (PTI photo)
Uttarakhand Chief Minister met the affected people in the rain-affected Dungri village of Chamoli
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday visited Dungri village in Chamoli district and met disaster-affected people who lost their families in landslides triggered by heavy rains in the state.
He was accompanied by ourwad minister Satpal Maharaj, state disaster management minister Dhan Singh Rawat and other officials. Dhami traverses slippery terrain A stick in hand for support to assess the damage on the spot.
“The affected families will get all possible help from the government. They have lost their relatives and they have small children. We will ensure that they are taken good care of,” Dhami told reporters during his visit to the village.
ATVs, captive elephants, drones being used in Corbett core zone to protect wildlife: Official
All-terrain vehicles, captive elephants and drone cameras are being used in tourist areas of Corbett Tiger Reserve and other forest roads in rain-ravaged Uttarakhand to protect wildlife.
Of the 101.57 km of roads built this month for the next tourist season in the Bijrani and Garjia zones of the Tiger Reserve, 87.57 km were washed away in Uttarakhand in three days of heavy rains, said the park’s deputy director Kalyani Negi.
(with PTI inputs)
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