DEHRADUN: Two children were killed after a wall collapsed on them while they were asleep in Uttarakhand's rait-hit Tehri district on Saturday.
According to the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) officials, the wall had collapsed in the aftermath of heavy rains at night. Police and administration teams reached the spot, pulled the children out of the debris and rushed them to a nearby primary health centre, where doctors declared them brought dead.
The deceased duo were identified as Praveen Das's 12-year-old daughter Kumari Sneha and 10-year-old son Ranveer. Praveen's father was also injured in the accident.
After reaching the spot, Tehri Garhwal District Disaster Management Officer Brijesh Bhatt told TNIE, "a house was damaged due to debris in Maroda Bridge, Sakalana Patti in a cloudburst incident due to heavy rains on Saturday night. The SDRF team reached the spot and launched a rescue operation and pulled out the two children trapped in the debris from under the broken wall behind Praveen Das's house."
"Both the children were immediately rushed to the primary health centre (PHC) Satya, where doctors declared them brought dead," DDMO Bhatt told this newspaper.
According to the disaster management authorities, incessant rains have also caused landslides in the border district of Pithoragarh. "Heavy landslides have occurred due to continuous rains on Selapani, Daranti Munsiyari Madkot Jauljibi motorway of Pithoragarh district."
Heavy rainfall since Saturday night triggered a massive landslide in Darkot Selapani, felling trees and causing infrastructure damage to electric lines in the area.