5 more killed in Uttarakhand cloudbursts, toll mounts to 6

Five more persons were killed over the last 24 hours in Uttarakhand as heavy rains triggered by a series of cloudbursts hit Tehri and Uttarkashi districts.

Uttarkashi's Chinyalisaur area reported four fresh deaths.

The toll in cloudburst now stands at six. Four persons, including three women, were swept in incidents of mudslide when a series of cloudbursts hit several villages in Chinyalisaur at 5 pm and 10 pm yesterday, SDM Vijay Nath Shukla, who is on a visit to affected areas, told on Sunday.

The deceased women have been identified as Shartna Devi (45), Sunaina (19)?and Godambari Devi (55) who hailed from Dargarh, Junga and Murogi localities, respectively.

Sunaina's body has been recovered and a search is on for the rest, he said.

Munshi Lal (40) was also swept away by a flood triggered by a cloudburst in Suri village, he said, adding 13 cattle were also buried alive under the debris in the area.

The body of 14-year-old Bharti, a resident of Kireth village, who was swept away by waters following the cloudburst yesterday was recovered today from Kothiyaada village in Tehri district, Ghansali SDM Vinod Kumar said.

A 15-year-old boy was yesterday killed as cloudbursts in Ghansali area damaged hundreds of houses in over half a dozen villages in Balganga Valley.