5 killed as cloudburst hits Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand: Five people were killed and eleven others went missing as heavy rains and a series of cloudbursts wreaked havoc in various districts of Uttarakhand early Friday, triggering landslides that damaged houses and left people buried under mounds of rubble, officials said. Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Tehri and Bageshwar districts bore the brunt of the natural calamity which came close on the heels of the Tharali disaster on August 23.

Two bodies have been recovered, one person has been rescued in an injured condition in Begeshwar while three others are still missing, the USDMA said. A house and a cowshed were buried under the landslide debris in Mopata village of Chamoli district, killing a couple and leaving another injured, Chief Development Officer Abhishek Tripathi said.

Twenty-five livestock are also reported to be missing in Chamoli district, the USDMA said. Incessant rain and landslides in Basukedaar area of Rudraprayag district have caused heavy damage in more than half-a-dozen villages, the officials said.

Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman said a woman died in a house collapse at Jakholi in Rudraprayag district, adding three cloudbursts occurred in the district.

Rudraprayag Superintendent of Police (SP) Akshay Prahlad Konde said there is information about four locals and as many Nepalis getting trapped under debris in Chenagad area.