Earlier, it was reported that at least five people went missing and several houses were completely uprooted in the region.
At least 17 people have died after a cloudburst hit Uttarkashi region of Uttarakhand on Sunday, officials confirmed.
The Secretary (Incharge) of Disaster Management, S A Murugesan, today said to reporters, "17 people have died in the cloud burst in Mori Tehsil of Uttarkashi."
Earlier, it was reported that at least five people went missing and several houses were completely uprooted in the region.
Finance Secretary Amit Negi, Inspector General (IG) Sanjay Gunjyal, and Uttarkashi District Magistrate (DM) Ashish Chauhan today reached Uttarkashi to take stock of the situation in Arakot following cloud-burst in the region.
Major damage was reported in Arakot, Makudi and Tikochi villages of the state. All the three villages are connected to Himachal Pradesh and the road joining them has been washed away due to the cloudburst. A house was also washed away in Arakot and two people present in the house were swept away. According to Superintendent of Police (SP) Uttarkashi Pankaj Bhatt, the Disaster Management team has left to carry out rescue and evacuation process in the region.
To hasten the relief process, the Emergency Wing at Doon Hospital in Dehradun has prepared to take-up patients being brought from Uttarkashi.
Uttarkashi District Magistrate Ashish Chauhan has also declared a holiday in all government schools and Anganwadi centers of Uttarkashi for August 19, Monday, in view of forecast of heavy rainfall.
In Makudi, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) confirmed that a woman was buried under the debris of her house following a cloud burst.
Meanwhile, the Tons River in Uttarkashi's Mori Tehsil is overflowing due to incessant rain followed by a cloudburst. The state government has dispatched teams of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and SDRF to carry out rescue and evacuation process.
A portion of a footbridge over Sutlej river in Chaba area of Shimla also collapsed yesterday after the water level in the river increased due to heavy rainfall in the region. The bridge provided connectivity to Shakra, Baaladi, Bindla, and Jedvi villages.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast “heavy to very heavy rainfall” in the state in next 24 hours.
“The ongoing widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very heavy falls over Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi is likely to continue for next 24 hours and reduce thereafter,” the MeT department said.
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