Pithoragarh: Two people were killed and five buried under debris due to a landslide near Jumma village of Pithoragarh district, the Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami said, adding that the district magistrate has been ordered to intensify the rescue mission. "Teams of SDRF and SSB have been sent to Jumma village. Relief materials are also being sent," Pithoragarh DM Ashish Chauhan said. The Rishikesh-Gangotri (NH-94) from Narendra Nagar to Chamba and the Rishikesh-Badrinath highway (NH-58) from Tapovan to Maletha have been damaged due to heavy rains in the state.
"There is news of tragic death of two people and five others buried under the debris due to landslide near Jumma village of Pithoragarh district. In this regard, after talking to the District Magistrate, instructions have been given to intensify the rescue mission. I pray to God for the safety of the people trapped there," Uttarakhand CM tweeted.
There has been a lot of destruction due to cloudburst in Jumma village under Dharchula tehsil of Pithoragarh, the frontier district. It is being reported that five residential buildings in the village and two residential buildings in Siroudayar Tok have collapsed. Revenue, SSB, Police, SDRF and rescue teams have left for the spot immediately after receiving information about the incident.
Read: Uttarakhand: All-weather road of NH 94 washed away due to heavy rains
The DM also held a meeting with the IRS officers at the District Disaster Operation Center and directed them to conduct relief and rescue work on a war footing. The collector further said that a helipad is being prepared in the area for the rescue operations, due to the blockade of roads in the area.
Uttarakhand is being pounded by heavy rains for the last few days and this is leading to landslides and roads getting washed away.
The Metrological Department's forecast is turning out to be accurate as it has been severely raining in the state for the last two days. Due to the severe rains, normal life has been disturbed. Travelling in the mountainous districts of Uttarakhand has also become riskier due to frequent landslides and roads getting washed away.
