NEW DELHI: Twelve people, including three members of a family, were killed and six others injured due to heavy overnight rains in Uttarakhand.
The downpour led to multiple instances of house collapses, flooding, and rising water levels in several rivers. The worst-hit areas included Haridwar, Tehri, Dehradun and Chamoli, leading to missing persons, deaths, and extensive property damage.
In Haridwar district, six deaths were reported, followed by Tehri with three, Dehradun with two, and Chamoli with one. Two people remain missing—one in Haldwani and another in Chamoli, the Disaster Control Room said.
Dehradun SSP Ajai Singh confirmed that two individuals were swept away by an overflowing seasonal canal near the Ordnance Factory in Dehradun’s Raipur area. Their bodies were recovered and identified as Sundar Singh and Arjun Singh Rana.
Heavy rains caused significant waterlogging in many parts of Dehradun, with water gushing into homes and flooding roads.
In Nainital district’s Haldwani, a seven-year-old child named Rizwan was swept away by a stream; he remains missing.
In Chamoli, the body of a woman who had gone missing after a house collapse in Devchauli was found. Similarly, in Haridwar’s Bharpur village, four people died and six were injured after a house collapsed due to heavy rain on Wednesday night.
Another incident in Haridwar occurred at the Roorkee bus stand, where two people were electrocuted.
In Tehri district’s Ghansali area, a landslide caused by a cloudburst led to the death of three family members—Bhanu Prasad, his wife Neelam Devi, and their son Vipin—when their roadside restaurant was damaged. Vipin was initially rescued but died while being taken to AIIMS in Rishikesh, said Tehri District Disaster Management Officer Brijesh Bhatt.
Heavy rains also washed away nearly a dozen four-wheelers parked along the riverbed of the Sukhi in Haridwar’s Kharkhari area on Wednesday evening.
Officials informed that teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and other administrative bodies have been dispatched to the affected areas.
A situation emerged where approximately 450 pilgrims bound for Kedarnath were stranded beyond Bhimbali along the Gaurikund-Kedarnath trek route after a segment of the path was washed away by heavy rain.
Disaster Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman stated that 200 stranded passengers have been moved to safer places. The remaining pilgrims are being rescued with the help of helicopters.
“The trek route to the Himalayan temple is blocked by boulders at Ghoraparav, Linchauli, Badi Linchauli and Bhimabali,” Suman noted.
Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami emphasized the ongoing efforts to bring pilgrims stranded on the Kedarnath trek route to an emergency helipad.
In a Facebook post, chief minister Dhami advised pilgrims bound for Kedarnath to remain in safe locations until weather conditions improve and the roads are cleared.
Both the Mandakini and Alaknanda rivers in Rudraprayag district are nearing the danger mark, and new registrations for the Chardham yatra are temporarily halted.
“Due to heavy rains last night across the state, life was affected at many places. Rescue teams conducted operations throughout the night and took people to safer places. I am in constant touch with the local administration and have instructed the NDRF and SDRF teams to remain on alert mode in the affected areas,” Dhami said in a post on X.
He further added: “Relief and rescue operations are being conducted in Rambada, Bhimbali, Jakhaniyali and other more affected areas. The safety of every resident of the state, the devotees and tourists coming from other states is our priority, for which our entire team is working with promptness. All of you are requested to travel only after getting an update on the weather situation.”
Dhami mentioned plans to conduct both aerial and ground inspections of the affected areas in Rudraprayag and Tehri Garhwal districts.
A truck carrying rations and essential supplies for a group of kanwariyas was washed away in Kharkhari on Wednesday. Fortunately, no one was inside the truck when the incident occurred.
Haridwar witnessed submerged roads and rainwater entering the Kankhal police station. Many colonies and markets in Bhupatwala, Haridwar, Naya Haridwar, Kankhal and Jwalapur were also flooded.
In Pithoragarh district’s Talla village, a house collapsed due to heavy rain, and three other houses were damaged.
To ensure safety, schools up to class 12 and Anganwadi centers were closed on Thursday in various districts, including Dehradun.
Overall, heavy rains wreaked havoc in several regions, leading to casualties, infrastructure damage, and the stranding of many individuals.
Rescue operations are underway in parts of Uttarakhand.