PrashantNews
At least 20 people were killed and dozens of others missing in cloudbursts, landslides and floods triggered by heavy rains since Wednesday in the two Himalayan states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Nearly five people were killed and dozens others missing after a couple of cloudbursts in Rampur in Shimla and Kulu districts in Himachal Pradesh early on Thursday, police reports said. The rescue teams have rushed to the spots to look for survivors and recover bodies. The situation is being described as grim.
In Uttarakhand, 14 people were killed since Wednesday in heavy rains that triggered landslides and floods at number of places. Six people were killed in two separate incidents in Haridwar district due to house collapse and electrocution. Two people were killed in Dehradun when they were swept away in a swollen canal at Raipur area last night. Three people died in Ghansali area in Tehri district. One person died in Gairsain in Chamoli district. One child went missing in Nainital district.
In the latest incident, two persons were swept away in the swollen Sahastradhara river in Dehradun on Thursday, police said.
Meanwhile, nearly 1500 Kedarnath pilgrims were rescued from different areas after the yatra was disrupted due to heavy landslides at Bhimbali area. For the time being, the Kedarnath yatra has been suspended.
With the met office issue warning of heavy rains, the schools in Dehradun remained closed for the second consecutive day on Thursday.