Rains claim three more lives in Uttarakhand

Dehradun, Aug 17: The weather cleared up at most places across Uttarakhand on Saturday but the swollen rivers following heavy rains over the past week continued to claim lives leaving three persons dead in separate incidents.

Swirling waters of the rivers and canals swept away a girl and a student in Tehri and Chamoli districts respectively whereas a youth was killed at Joshimath after being hit by a rock rolling down from a nearby hill yesterday, officials said today.

17 houses were razed to the ground in Tehri district following landslips. However, there were no casualties as the occupants had already moved to safer places. Yamunotri, Gangotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath highways are still blocked by debris falling from the hills, they said.

A 13-year-old girl at Chamiala village of Tehri's Ghansali sub-division was swept away by the surging waters of Balganga river where she had gone along with her father to wash clothes. The girl slipped and fell into the river and was washed away by its strong currents.

The villagers kept scouring the river till late in the evening in search of the girl but to no avail, they said. A man in his thirties was killed at Joshimath in Chamoli district when a huge rock falling from the hills near Garhi temple hit him killing him on the spot.

Two brothers were flown down a seasonal stream while returning from their college in the district.As they raised an alarm, villagers saved one of the them while the other drowned. Landslides also razed to ground 11 houses in Indarola village and six in Nava Gaon.

In Uprari and Saragaon villages in Uttarkashi district a large chunk of agricultural land was destroyed. However, State Disaster Management and Mitigation Centre authorities here said the weather was clear at most places across Uttarakhand today.

PTI