Lightning strike at Haridwar’s Har ki Pauri: 80-feet wall, transformer collapse; Heavy rains wreak havoc in Uttarakhand

The latest incident in Har ki Pauri is not the only episode of rain causing damage in Uttarakhand. (ANI photo)

The latest episode of heavy rains accompanied by lightning has caused havoc in Uttarakhand. In Haridwar, lightning struck at famous Har ki Pauri area on the banks of Ganges where thousands used to congregate for holy dip before Covid19 restrictions. The incident that took place around 2:30 AM on the night of July 21 and it has caused damage in Uttarakhand’s Har Ki Pauri as a transformer along with an 80 feet-wall was destroyed near Har ki Pauri’s Brahmakund. Reportedly, there is no loss of lives as of now. Electricity services the area adjacent to the region of the incident have been disrupted since.

After getting information about the incident in Har Ki Pauri, the SSP of the region reached the spot for inspection that followed the removal of debris left by the destruction of the wall and repair work by barricading the spot where lightning had fallen. Shrimant Narendra Giri of Akhara Parishad also reached Har Ki Pauri and took stock of the situation after his arrival.

The latest incident in Har ki Pauri is not the only episode of rain causing damage in Uttarakhand. Earlier, a cloudburst caused havoc in two villages of Bangapani Tehsil, about 90 km from Pithoragarh on the midnight of July 19. In another episode of destruction and loss of lives in the state, a couple along with five other people had succumbed due to heavy rainfall in Galla Patharkot village.

Authorities have been able to recover the bodies of the three people from the debris left in Galla Pattharkot village. Around the same time, four houses in the village of Tanga washed away leaving at least 11 people who were sleeping in those houses missing. Authorities are searching for the missing people in Tanga