Amidst massive rescue efforts in Uttarakhand following a bout of extreme weather earlier this week, the death count rose to 72. Rescue operations are on to find the missing members of two trekking groups in Harsil and near Lamkhaga Pass. “The bodies of seven trekkers have been recovered. Two have been rescued and two remain missing out of a group of 11 trekkers which had gone missing in Harsil. Five more bodies of trekkers from another group of 11 trekkers which went missing near Lamkhaga Pass have also been retrieved,” Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar said.
Heavy rains battered Uttarakhand for nearly three days, leading to floods, landslides, and massive destruction of property especially in the hills of Kumaon. The rains have since subsided. The State Disaster Response Force was able to rescue 65 trekkers, including six foreigners, stranded near Bageshwar’s Pindari and Kafni glaciers. Another 23 were also rescued from Darma Valley of Pithoragarh.
“SDRF teams have rescued 42 tourists, including six foreigners, from Dwali near the Pindari glacier and 23 from the Kafni glacier,” Bageshwar DM Vineet Kumar said. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the incessant rains in Uttarakhand caused damages worth £700 million across the state.
“Kumaon division bore the brunt of the unseasonal spell of rains which damaged crops and property worth £200 million besides accounting for the highest number of deaths and large scale destruction of houses,” the Kumaon Divisional Commissioner said. CM Dhami met victims of the calamity in Champawat. “The affected families will get all support from the government. They have lost their kin and have little children. We will ensure that they are given good care,” Dhami said.
Fresh rain and snow alert sparks fear
Fresh rainfall and snow alert in issued has sparked concerns in the state which is still grappling with the damage caused by rain-triggered disasters this week. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a forecast of light rainfall and snowfall in the higher reaches of Uttarakhand. “Very light to light rain and thundershowers are likely to occur at isolated places in Uttarkashi, Dehradun, Haridwar, Chamoli, Nainital and Champawat districts,” the IMD said, adding that snowfall is likely to occur at isolated places in higher reaches of Uttarkashi and Chamoli.
The local Met department attempted to allay fears and said light rainfall is unlikely to cause damage. “There is a prediction of light rain, but no heavy showers are expected,” said an official.
A fresh spell of snow in higher reaches, however, is likely to impede rescue operations. While a search operation in Uttarkashi to trace two missing trekkers on Harsil-Chitkul trek was called off due to bad weather, another operation to airlift bodies of six trekkers who died en route Sunderdhunga glacier in Bageshwar district was also postponed. A search on foot, however, continued. The administration has evacuated 70 families from the area and shifted them to a school. “The remaining 50 families will also be shifted to nearby schools and a dharamshala,” said a district official.
