Twenty-three more people were reported killed in Uttarakhand on Tuesday as houses collapsed due to incessant rain in various parts of the State, leaving many trapped under the debris.
The death toll now stands at 28 with the Kumaon region being the worst hit. Five deaths were reported on Monday, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).
Eighteen deaths were reported from Nainital, three from Almora and one each from Champawat and Udham Singh Nagar districts on Tuesday, the SEOC said.
In Nainital, five people went missing after three houses, including a hut, collapsed following landslips in Kainchi Dham, Chaukhuta and Ramgarh villages. One person went missing in Almora and two in Champawat district, it said.
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Director General of Police Ashok Kumar, who accompanied Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on a visit to the rain-hit areas of the Kumaon region, said roads, bridges and railway tracks had been damaged in Kathgodam and Lalkuan in Nainital and Rudrapur in Udham Singh Nagar.
It would take at least four-five days to repair the damaged tracks, Mr. Kumar told PTI.
Nainital remained cut off from the rest of the State for the second day as landslips blocked three roads leading to the district.
The district’s Mall Road and the Naina Devi temple located along the banks of the Naini lake were flooded, while a hostel building was damaged due to landslips.
Tourists stranded
Around 100 people were stranded at the Lemon Tree resort on the Ramnagar-Ranikhet route after water from a swollen Kosi river entered the resort. Electricity, telecom and internet connectivity in Nainital have also been hit badly.
Three Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters have arrived in the State and are assisting in relief and rescue operations. Two of them have been deployed in Nainital district, which has suffered extensive damage due to cloudbursts and landslips, Mr. Dhami said.
The third helicopter is assisting in rescue operations in the Garhwal region, he said.
Accompanied by Disaster Management Minister Dhan Singh Rawat and the DGP, Mr. Dhami conducted an aerial survey of the affected areas and said there had been extensive damage. He said the focus was on evacuating stranded people to safety.
The Chief Minister appealed to people not to panic as every step was being taken to save the lives of those in danger.
He said the Meteorological department had predicted an improvement in weather conditions from Tuesday evening.
Mr. Dhami also reiterated his appeal to Char Dham Yatra pilgrims to stay where they are and not to resume their journeys before the weather improved. He also asked the district magistrates of Chamoli and Rudraprayag to take special care of pilgrims stranded on the Char Dham Yatra route.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke to Mr. Dhami on the phone to take stock of the situation and assured him of all help.
The SEOC said that most rivers in the State are in spate. The water level in the Ganga in Haridwar has reached 293.90 metres, just a notch below the danger mark of 294 metres.
Kali and Saryu rivers in Pithoragarh have reached the danger mark of 890 metres and 453 metres respectively. The Gori river is flowing close to the danger mark at 606.75 metres, it said.
Nainital received 90 mm of rainfall, Haldwani 128 mm, Koshyakutoli 86.6 mm, Almora 216. 6 mm, Dwarahot 184 mm and Jageshwar 176 mm, the SEOC said.
Trekkers rescued
Around 25 to 30 trekkers stranded in Gomukh trek in Uttarakhand were rescued by the State Disaster Response Force personnel late on Monday night.
The team of trekkers had got stranded along the Gomukh trek on Monday when the road was blocked by boulders falling from the hills one kilometre ahead of Devgad following incessant rain, SDRF jawan Kuldip Singh said.
An SDRF team left for the spot after the Gangotri police post came to know of the incident late on Monday night.
The SDRF personnel reached the stranded trekkers after traversing a difficult terrain amid heavy rain and brought them to Gangotri, Mr. Singh said.