In Dehradun, a cloudburst killed at least 15 people, while 16 others are missing. More than 900 people were trapped in the city due to heavy rains on Tuesday due to heavy rains.District Magistrate Savin Bansal said that rescue operations are going on in Dehradun. He said that some shops were swept away and buildings were submerged in the water of the swollen river.Rishikesh received heavy rains, where the Chandrabhaga river has been flowing above the normal level since morning.
Destruction due to heavy rains in Dehradun
Buildings, roads and bridges were washed away due to the rivers, causing 15 people to die, 16 went missing and 900 people were trapped at various places in this hill state. According to the Uttarakhand Disaster Management Authority, 13 people have died in Dehradun district alone and one person in Nainital and Pithoragarh districts alone. Sixteen people have been reported missing in different parts of the state capital.
15 killed, 16 missing, destruction in many areas
Officials said that in the 13 deaths in Dehradun, eight residents of Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh are also involved. They were crossing the Tons River in Vikasnagar tehsil through a tractor-trolley, which was swept away by a strong flow of water. He said that two more people of the group are missing. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced financial assistance of two lakh rupees for the families of the deceased.
Tapkeshwar temple in Dehradun is submerged, roads flowed
Officials said that three people have also been injured in rainy incidents in Uttarakhand, who are undergoing treatment. The State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) said here that the search for missing people continued in the midst of bad weather, while NDRF, SDRF and firefighter personnel brought most of the trapped people to a safe place. It states that 900 people stranded at various places were saved by SDRF, NDRF and fire fighting personnel. Most of the rivers are in spate after the rains. The water of the Tamsa River (also known as the Tons River) was submerged by the famous Tapkeshwar temple located on its banks, which drowned the huge Hanuman statue near its entrance to the shoulders.
Bipin Joshi, the priest of the temple, said that he did not see the river water rising so much in the last 25-30 years. He said that fortunately, when there was a flood in the morning, only a few devotees were present in the temple premises. He told that the priests living in the temple are safe. Roads broke in Dehradun district and several bridges were washed away. The water of the swollen rivers was flowing on the roads, so it was a big challenge to bring people to safe places.
In the video shared on social media, SDRF personnel are seen helping to evacuate people trapped in the strong streams of flood -affected rivers, where many vehicles including cars and trucks were stuck. Director General of Information Banshidhar Tiwari said that about 400-500 students trapped due to waterlogging in the Devbhoomi Institute campus in Paundha area of Dehradun were rescued by the SDRF team. The Dehradun-Mussoorie road also broke at many places, due to which the police appealed to tourists and visitors to stop wherever they are for their safety.
Tiwari said that people were trapped in Geeta Bhavan due to waterlogging in Tehri, which were later rescued. An official said that a road was blocked by the debris caused by landslides caused by heavy rains in Nainital. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the rain -affected areas of Dehradun district and reviewed the situation. He was accompanied by local MLAs and senior officials. Talking to reporters in the Maldevata area affected by the rain, he said, all the rivers are in spate after heavy rains.
Roads have broken at twenty five to 30 places. Contact routes are cut. Homes and government properties have been damaged. Normal life is badly affected. Rescue teams are working on a war footing to restore normal conditions. He said, the state government stands with every affected family. The administration is already on alert mode and NDRF, SDRF, police and local administration are active.
Dhami informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah about the situation after heavy rains in Uttarakhand. According to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), he (Modi-Shah) assured the state of all possible help and said that the central government is standing firmly with the people of Uttarakhand in this hour of crisis. Due to heavy rains, the Song River in Dehradun was in spate and the surrounding areas were flooded.
In the evening, Dhami once again reviewed the situation at the State Emergency Operations Center here and asked the officials to run relief and rescue operations on a war footing. He said, “The government is standing with every victim; There will be no stone unturned to provide assistance to the affected people. The search for missing people is going on and trapped people are being transported to safe places. Relief camps are being set up with adequate supply of food, drinking water and medicines.