Multiple families were trapped after cloudbursts triggered debris flow in the Rudraprayag and Chamoli districts of Uttarakhand on Friday, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami mentioned in an X post.
According to his post, the tragedy struck the Bareth Dungar Tok area of Buskedar tehsil in Rudraprayag and the Deval area of Chamoli.
The Chief Minister also said the relief and rescue operations were being carried out by the local administration, and that he was in contact with officials.
He also mentioned that he had instructed the Disaster Secretary and District Magistrates to ensure effective rescue measures.
“A distressing report has been received that due to cloudbursts in the Bareth Dungar Tok area under the Buskedar tehsil of Rudraprayag district and in the Deval area of Chamoli district, some families have been trapped due to debris flow," a rough translation of Dhami’s post in Hindi suggested.
“Relief and rescue operations are underway on a war footing by the local administration. In this regard, I am in constant contact with officials and have issued necessary instructions to the Disaster Secretary and District Magistrates to ensure the effective conduct of rescue operations," he added.
“I pray to Baba Kedar for the safe well-being of all," the Chief Minister wrote.
Following the incident, news agency ANI quoted Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari as saying that two people were reported missing following the cloudburst, while many animals were buried under the debris.
Tiwari also said that multiple roads in the district were shut due to heavy rain in the region.
Relief teams were deployed in the affected areas, he added.
Cloudbursts and flash floods triggered by heavy rain have been reported in multiple districts of Uttarakhand since the onset of the monsoon this year.
On August 26, Chief Minister Dhami directed that a team of experts be sent to Tharali in Chamoli district to study the causes of the disaster that struck the village on August 22.
State Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman told news agency PTI that Dhami stressed the need for a detailed survey of the incident in Tharali, similar to the one carried out in Dharali, Uttarkashi, to find out why such disasters are recurring in the Himalayan region and how massive debris flows down with the water.
Suman said experts from the Geological Survey of India, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, National Institute of Hydrology, Uttarakhand Landslide Reduction and Management Centre, Central Water Commission, and Irrigation Department of the state will soon visit Tharali.
Source: News18
