THREE DEAD AND HOUSES DAMAGED AS HEAVY RAIN BATTERS U’KHAND

DEHRADUN: At least three people, including a 3-year-old girl, died as heavy rains lashed Uttarkashi and Tehri Garhwal districts of Uttarakhand early on Monday, officials engaged in rescue operations said.

Amid heavy downpour triggered by a cloudburst, several houses were damaged as muck brought in by rainwater swamped many villages in the two hill districts, prompting teams of the state disaster response force (SDRF) to start search and rescue operations.

Heavy rains also lashed areas in plain districts of US Nagar, Haridwar, Nainital and Dehradun where several houses and roads were damaged.

According to SDRF, three people, including a mother-daughter duo, died in Uttarkashi after they got trapped in slush at Mandav village.

“The village was witnessing very heavy rains since Sunday night due to which a rivulet near it was overflowing,” said inspector Lalita Negi, media in-charge of SDRF. “At 4 am on Monday, the SDRF camp located 3 kms away from the village received information that several people were stranded in their homes filled with overflowing water from the rivulet. An SDRF team rushed to the village and started a rescue operation. Bodies of three people, including a woman and a mother-daughter duo, were recovered from under the muck in their houses,” Negi said.

Negi said the SDRF personnel are still continuing their search operation in the village.

In Tehri Garhwal, several houses were damagedat Med village, but nobody was injured or dead. According to SDRF officials, the residents of the village had come out of their homes early morning after hearing loud sounds of thunder and rains, which prevented any loss of life.

Making a surprise inspection of the emergency operation centre in Dehradun, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami asked officials to be on alert and inform their seniors about rain-related incidents. He also district magistrates to ensure quick reaction in case of any natural disaster.