Uttarakhand floods: 21 more bodies extricated from Kedarnath
Dehradun: Twenty-one more bodies were pulled out from the debris in Uttarakhand's worst flood-hit Kedarnath area, taking the total number to 209 in the month-long operations, even as fresh concerns erupted with the Ganga flowing close to the danger mark at Haridwar.
Even though the weather remained largely clear in the state on Saturday, a woman was killed while two others were injured in a landslip in Chamoli district, over 300 km from Dehradun, police said.
Following moderate to heavy rains at many places over the past few days, the Ganga at Haridwar was flowing close to the danger mark on Friday, flooding some adjoining villages.
Nearly 600 to 700 people have been taken to safer places by the administration, state Disaster Management and Mitigation Centre (DMMC) said on Saturday.
From Kedarnath, 21 bodies were on Saturday pulled out from the rubbles by the police and NDRF personnel, who are engaged in the clearing-up operations since the torrential rains and floods ravaged several parts of Uttarakhand in June.
Extricating bodies is proving to be a challenging task as damaged structures close to the shrine are cluttered with tonnes of debris containing huge boulders and rocks, they said. DNA samples, jewellery, accessories and photos of the bodies have been taken to simplify their identification.
A woman was killed and two others received minor injuries in Palgaon village of Chamoli district this morning when they were hit by a boulder rolling down a hill, ADM Sanjay Kumar said.
The landslide was apparently triggered by overnight rains, he said. Most places across the state, including capital Dehradun, received light showers today except Haldwani in Nainital district, from where heavy rainfall was reported, the MeT department said.
Haldwani got 112 mm rainfall till 8.30 AM on Saturday whereas Nainital received 17.6 mm of rains. Dehradun received 4 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, it said, adding that the weather remained largely clear in most parts of the state.
The sky was clear in Dehradun since morning, but overcast conditions prevailed in the afternoon followed by drizzle.
After incessant rains over the past few days, river Ganga was on Friday flowing close to the danger mark in Haridwar, inundating some villages in Luxor area, state Disaster Management and Mitigation Centre (DMMC) said on Saturday.
About 600 to 700 affected people have been taken to safer places by the administration, it said. The Ganga in Haridwar was flowing at 293.70 metre, at a razor-thin margin from the danger mark of 294 metre, the DMMC said.
Pauri district was also lashed by moderate rains over the past few days, leaving most of the rivers and canals in Lansdown area in spate. The administration has asked people living close to the banks of Nayal and Mander rivers in the area to move to safer places. Power supply has been affected for the past 15 hours in the Kedar Valley, authorities here said.
Post new comment