Cloudburst in Pithoragrh: Eight feared dead in two incidents caused by heavy rains
Tuesday, 31 August 2021 | PNS | Pithoragarh/Dehradun
Four persons died and three are missing after a cloudburst in the border region of Dharchula in Pithoragarh district late on Sunday night. In Dehradun district, two children were buried in debris when an under construction home collapsed following heavy rain in Kotda Kalyanpur area of Sahaspur in Vikasnagar. One of the children was rescued and admitted in the hospital while the other is still missing.
The intense rain in Dharchula resulted in collapse of about half a dozen homes in the Jumma village burying a number of persons in the debris. Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami took stock of the situation and directed the officials concerned to ensure swift rescue and relief efforts.
According to official sources, the cloudburst which occurred around midnight resulted in the death of four persons including three children while three persons are missing and two are injured. The district magistrate, senior police officers along with personnel of State Disaster Response Force and other departments concerned reached the affected site on getting information about the disaster. The road link to the village is also cut off. This area is located near the border with Nepal. Elsewhere in the district, the flow of the Kali river was hampered by debris following a cloudburst in Sirbagad area of Nepal. This resulted in the water of the river reaching the administrative office and colony of Dhauliganga hydroelectric project. The officers and employees living in the colony spent Sunday night on the roof of the three-storey building. The water level also rose to the suspension bridge between India and Nepal in Dharchula. Late on Sunday night, the district administration and police alerted those living on the banks of the river.
Meanwhile, chief minister Dhami discussed the situation in Dharchula virtually with the Kumaon commissioner Sushil Kumar and additional district magistrate Finchram apart from seeking information from the phone about rescue and relief efforts from the district magistrate Ashish Chauhan who is present at the affected site. Dhami directed the officials to immediately shift the people from the affected area to safe locations while also ensuring necessary facilities for them. According to officials, the CM will visit the affected area after the weather clears.
