A day after landslide, heavier rain predicted in Uttarakhand

A day after heavy downpour led to landslides and flash floods in Uttarakhand's Chamoli and Pithoragarh districts, the toll rose to 15 on Saturday, with four more confirmed dead in Pithoragarh, said the district authorities. No deaths have been reported from Chamoli since Friday morning. Meanwhile, rescue operations were intensified, with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Army's Assam Regiment also stepping in.

A total of 21 persons are still missing across the two districts, while 13 have been reported injured. According to the Pithoragarh district authorities, the injured are being treated at the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force hospital in Mirthi. Even as rainfall abated slightly in the two districts, the rest of the state continued to receive heavy rainfall, according to the meteorology center in Dehradun.

Pithoragarh sub-divisional magistrate Anurag Arya said the landslides have affected nearly 150 families, with many of them suffering loss of property and cattle as well. "We have evacuated 5-7 families from Aamthal. The highway through Pithoragarh is still blocked. Fortunately, the rain has abated a bit since last night. While work on removing the debris from homes will take longer, many of the local roads have been cleared," Arya told dna.

Officials at the meteorology center in Dehradun said more heavy downpour is expected on Sunday and so the orange-code alert has not been withdrawn yet. "We are expecting heavy rain on Sunday. The trough is located close to the state and even the western disturbance continues to impact the conditions," said Bikram Singh, director, meteorology center in Dehradun.

Meanwhile between Friday and Saturday morning, Banbasa in Champawat recorded the maximum rainfall – 137mm – followed by Chaukatiya, Almora – 130mm – while Karnaprayag in Chamoli recorded 73.8mm.