The body of the victim was recovered from the debris, while three people — two women and a child — were rescued alive in Kuntari Lagaphali village, State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) in Dehradun said
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami speaks to officials during a site inspection of the disaster-affected areas. PIC/PTI
A 42-year-old man has been killed while 20 others have sustained injuries in landslides and flooding triggered by heavy rain in four villages of Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Thursday, news agency PTI reported.
Also, 11 are feared trapped under debris and more than 30 houses have been flattened in the disaster-struck district.
The body of the victim, Narendra Singh, was recovered from the debris, while three people — two women and a child — were rescued alive in Kuntari Lagaphali village, PTI reported, quoting the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) in Dehradun.
Eleven people have been reported missing — seven from Kuntari Lagaphali, and two each from Kuntari Lagasarpani and Dhurma — the SEOC added. Earlier, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had told reporters in Dehradun that 14 people were missing following the landslides.
All the four affected villages fall under the Nandanagar area, around 260 km from Dehradun and 50 km from the Chamoli district headquarters at Gopeshwar.
Nandanagar is already reeling from land subsidence, reported PTI.
“The disaster struck Kuntari Lagaphali, Kuntari Lagasarpani, Sera and Dhurma,” Dhami said after reviewing the situation. “Thirty-three houses, several shops and cowsheds were destroyed by the debris in four villages — Kuntari Lagaphali, Kuntari Lagasarpani, Sera and Dhurma — following heavy rain. Fourteen people are missing and around 20 have been injured,” he added.
More than 200 people have been affected in the rain-related incidents, he added.
Around 150 to 200 villagers in Kuntari Lagaphali have been moved to safer locations, the SEOC said, adding that search-and-rescue operations are underway by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), police, and fire brigade personnel under the supervision of the district magistrate and superintendent of police.
Those seriously injured, including a child with head injuries, are being airlifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rishikesh, Dhami said.
The chief minister took stock of the situation in Nandanagar through video-conferencing with Chamoli District Magistrate Sandeep Tiwari and asked him to accelerate relief and rescue operations in the affected areas.
He also directed officials to ensure the immediate restoration of roads, drinking water supply, electricity, and network connectivity. “Adequate arrangements should be made for shelter, food, clean drinking water and other essential amenities for the disaster-hit people,” Dhami said. “Doctors and medicines should be made available in the affected areas to ensure prompt medical assistance.”
In the Mokh valley area, heavy rain triggered flooding in the Moksha river, causing erosion from Dhurma to Sera and damaging dozens of buildings, including at least six houses, officials said.
Tiwari said that at least eight people, including four members of a family, are missing in Kuntari Lagaphali, where the landslide hit about half-a-dozen houses. At least two people are missing in Dhurma, where the raging waters of the Moksha river have damaged multiple buildings, the DM added.
The access road to Nandanagar has been blocked by debris. Officials said the details of all those missing are awaited, and they may be trapped under the rubble of damaged buildings.
A resident of Kuntari Lagaphali and vice-president of the district branch of the Indian Red Cross, Nandan Singh, who is involved in relief and rescue operations, said the swampy terrain is hampering efforts. “Torrents of mud and boulders rolled down from the hills at three locations in Kuntari Lagaphali, destroying everything on their way,” he said.
“When the landslide hit the houses, some people inside managed to escape but sustained injuries,” Singh added.
Land subsidence had affected parts of Nandanagar in August, with cracks appearing in the walls of many houses. Residents were shifted to safer locations.
The landslides occurred two days after heavy rain and cloudbursts in Dehradun and nearby areas breached several roads, washed away bridges, and damaged houses, killing 21 people and leaving 17 missing.
(With PTI inputs)
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