Cloudburst in Uttarakhand, disaster in Dehradun, many deaths, more than a thousand people rescued; many missing!
A terrible situation has arisen in Uttarakhand due to continuous heavy rains since Monday night. According to the state's State Emergency Operation Center, Dehradun district has been the worst affected. 13 people have died here. In addition, 1 person has died in Pithoragarh and 1 in Nainital.
The administration has said that 16 people are missing so far. On the other hand, 900 people trapped in danger have been rescued. Three injured have been admitted to the hospital.
As the water gradually recedes, the real picture of the devastation is coming to light. Dehradun police said that 13 bodies have been recovered in the district so far. The worst-hit areas were Maldevata and Sahasradhara, where houses and roads were washed away by the overflowing river. The Rishipana and Bindal rivers, which flow through the city, have also swollen, raising the risk of loss of life for people living nearby.
A tractor-trolley carrying workers got stuck in the Tons river in Dehradun's Premnagar police station area on Tuesday. The river swelled due to sudden cloudbursts and mountain water, and at least eight people were swept away by the strong current. Four of them were women. Police have so far recovered the bodies of the eight, but several others are feared missing.
In another incident, a student died after a wall collapsed near DIT College. His body was later recovered by the SDRF. Three people drowned in the Sahasradhara in the strong current. Another worker died in a rain-related accident in Mussoorie.
A portion of the Dehradun-Haridwar highway also collapsed due to heavy rains. In Rishikesh, water from the Ganges and other canals has entered houses, causing great hardship to the common people.
On Tuesday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the affected areas of Dehradun and directed to speed up the relief work. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Pushkar Singh Dhami over the phone and assured all possible help from the central government.
The flood has cast a shadow of mourning over the village of Mudiya Jain under Bilari police station in Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh. Because, 6 workers from the village who had gone to Uttarakhand for work died in the flood in Dehradun. 3 are still missing.
SDM Bilari Vinay Kumar said that 6 people from Moradabad have died in the Dehradun flood and a search is on for 3 more. He said, "They had gone to Uttarakhand to provide for their families, but suddenly lost their lives in this disaster."
Following the incident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief and announced a financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased. BJP leader Suresh Saini said that the government is providing all possible assistance and efforts are being made to hand over the bodies to the families at the earliest.
