Six bodies recovered in HP: situation grim in Uttarakhand

New Delhi, Aug 15 (UNI) Six bodies of cloudburst victims were recovered from Himachal Pradesh while seven people died in Uttarakhand where a record rainfall was recorded, leaving the Ganga river flowing above danger mark.

Out of 52 people who have been missing in the flash flood caused by sudden cloudburst yesterday at Ghanvi in Rampur Sub-division of Shimla district, 28 have been identified and six bodies recovered.

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh carried out an aerial survey of the cloudburst-affected village and said the state government would provide relief as per the revised Relief Manual so that families were rehabilitated suitably.

Heavy downpour that lashed Uttarakhand last night left seven people, including two girls and a woman, dead and four others injured, two by them seriously, in separate incidents.

According to the Disaster Management Control Room, two, girls and their mother died when their house was wrecked under landslide at Bandwar village of Chamoli district.

Four people died and four others were injured, two seriously, in a landslide at Kasan village of Pauri district. Three of the dead bodies have been extracted from the debris so far.

The water level of the Ganga in Haridwar, increased by 80 metres above the danger level last night. The district administration has sounded a red-alert.

Following heavy rains, many railway tracks were submerged adversely affecting the rail services between Haridwar-Dehra Dun and Dehra Dun-Luxar.

Prominent rivers, including Ghaghra, Sharda, Rapti, Budhi Rapti, Gandhak and Kwano, have again started swelling in Uttar Pradesh, following incessant downpour in parts of the state during the last one week.

The situation has again started worsening in the 22 flood-hit districts, forcing people to migrate for safer places.

The 300-km-long Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, which was closed after heavy rains triggered landslides at Ramban yesterday, was thrown open for vehicular movement this afternoon.

Punjab and Haryana had traces of rain, while moderate showers lashed the Union Territory of Chandigarh last night.

In Punjab, Nangal had 17.4 mm rain, Madhopur 4.0 mm with traces of rain in the remaining parts of the border state. Haryana, too, reported traces of rain with Ambala recording 0.5 mm.

The national capital remained hot and humid as a bright sunny day welcomed Delhiites in the morning after a cloudy weather over the last few days.

The Met department recorded maximum humidity at 76 per cent. The maximum temperature also rose to 35.1 degrees Celsius while the minimum stayed at 27.3 degrees, two degrees above normal.

UNI