Dehradun Tragedy: Nine Lives Lost In 24 Hours Due To Rain-Related Incidents In Uttarakhand

Dehradun: In a span of 24 hours, Uttarakhand has witnessed the tragic loss of nine lives due to various rain-related incidents. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami , upon assessing the situation, has issued directives to all district magistrates to maintain a state of heightened alertness.

Among the casualties, one person remains missing, and several others have been left injured. A particularly heart-wrenching incident occurred in Gaurikund, the base camp of the Kedarnath Yatra, where two siblings lost their lives and another was injured when their hut succumbed to a landslide during the early hours of Wednesday. This marks the second landslide incident in Gaurikund within a five-day period.

The landslide originated from a hilltop, striking a shack near the helipad in Gaurikund village. Tragically, four members of a family were buried under the debris, according to Nandan Singh Rajwar, the Disaster Management Officer for Rudraprayag District.

A woman named Janaki managed to escape unharmed, while her three children were trapped beneath the rubble. Upon receiving the distress call, rescue teams swiftly arrived at the scene, successfully extracting the children and transporting them to a local government hospital.

In this unfortunate incident, an eight-year-old girl named Sweety survived but sustained injuries. Regrettably, her younger sister Pinky , aged 5, and another child lost their lives in the hospital.

The family residing in the hut hailed from Nepal. The children's father, Satyaraj, a labourer, was away in his village in Nepal at the time of the incident.

Notably, this location in Gaurikund village is situated a mere half kilometre away from the area where a landslide on August 4 claimed three lives and led to the disappearance of 20 individuals.

Meanwhile, in the past 24 hours in Uttarakhand's Pauri district, two separate road accidents have resulted in the death of five people and injuries to an equal number, officials reported.

Tragedy struck when a car, carrying four individuals including a father-son duo, plunged into a deep gorge on Tuesday night in Gumkhal. Praveen Rathi , an official from the State Disaster Response Force ( SDRF ) who spearheaded the rescue operation, conveyed that SDRF personnel rapidly responded to the scene and managed to retrieve three bodies using rope stretchers.

However, a fourth occupant of the car remained missing for an extended period before being eventually recovered. The victims were identified as Chandramohan Singh Bisht (62), Atul Bisht (35), Dinesh Singh (63) and Kamal Bisht (45), according to the SDRF official.

Another tragedy occurred near Mundaneshwar in the Kaljikhal block of the district, where a car carrying passengers plummeted 80 metres into a deep gorge at 2 pm on Wednesday. One woman lost her life, and five others sustained injuries, as reported by the disaster control room in Pauri.

Additionally, a woman travelling in a bus along the Rishikesh-Yamunotri National Highway met her demise when a rock fell onto the vehicle at approximately 8 am. The incident occurred while the bus was en route from Jankichatti to Barkot. Furthermore, in the Gadarpur area of Udham Singh Nagar district, a 25-year-old man named Akshay lost his life when a tree fell on him.

In light of these calamities, Chief Minister Dhami has kept a vigilant watch over the relentless rainfall affecting the state. He urged all district magistrates to remain proactive and advised various departments to maintain seamless coordination to ensure swift response in case of further emergencies.

The Chief Minister directly communicated with district magistrates of Rudraprayag, Pauri, Nainital, and Udham Singh Nagar, stressing the importance of preemptive administrative preparations to tackle potential crises in vulnerable areas.