Cloudburst wreaks havoc in Chamoli, 10 missing and houses buried in debris
Chamoli/Dehradun (The Uttam Hindu): A cloudburst and torrential rains wreaked havoc in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district late last night. Three villages under the Nandanagar tehsil Kuntri Lagafali, Sarpani, and Dhurma were the worst affected. Flash floods and debris in these villages caused numerous houses to collapse and destroyed farmland. Ten people have been confirmed missing so far.
Cloudburst wreaks havoc in Uttarakhand, 10 people missing in three Chamoli villages, several houses buried under debris: According to administrative reports, six houses have been completely damaged and eight people are missing in Kuntri Lagafali village due to heavy debris. At the same time, cloudburst has also been reported in Dhurma village, where five houses have been badly affected and two people are reported missing. There is news of heavy damage in Sarpani village as well. Along with this, there is a possibility that some cattle may have been washed away.
Upon receiving information about the incident, teams from the local administration, police, SDRF and NDRF immediately launched relief and rescue operations. An SDRF team has arrived in Nandprayag, while an NDRF team has been dispatched from Gochar. According to the Chief Medical Officer, medical teams have been dispatched to the scene and three 108 ambulances have been deployed to provide immediate first aid to the injured.
Locals said the accident occurred at night, when most people were fast asleep. The debris fell so quickly that no one had time to recover. Members of some families are still missing and are being searched for in the rubble. The administration stated that a full assessment of the damage has not yet been completed. The priority is to rescue those trapped under the debris and evacuate the affected.
Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department has forecast heavy rain in several districts of Uttarakhand over the next 24 hours. Several locations including Dehradun, Haridwar, Pauri Garhwal, Tehri, Chamba, Mussoorie, Rishikesh and Dhanaulti, could experience torrential downpours accompanied by thunderstorms. The administration has appealed to residents living in sensitive areas to remain vigilant and avoid unnecessary travel.