DEHRADUN: The death toll rose to 16 in Uttarakhand on Tuesday as heavy rains continued to batter parts of the hill state. The Char dham yatra remains suspended temporarily due to safety concerns.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday morning to inquire about the situation in the hill state due to heavy rains.
"Honorable Prime Minister asked me about the situation of the rains in the state and promised every help we need. I assured the Prime Minister that the state government is alert and equipped to deal with any situation. Indian Army along with three choppers has also been called in for help," said Chief Minister Dhami who also did an aerial survey of the affected areas.
Five more died in Chaukhuta village of Mukteshwar in Nainital district of Uttarakhand. Till Monday, six had died due to rain-induced landslides across the state.
The Indian Army along with helicopters has been called in after reports of nine people going missing came in from Ramgarh of Nainital district.
Prateek Jain, sub-divisional magistrate of Nainital, said, "The Indian Army from Dogra regiment headquarters is coming from Ranikhet. In addition, helicopters are being deployed. We request people to stay at home and be safe."
The state government has already deployed 34 teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) across 13 districts with high preparedness.
Officials from the Met department issued a yellow alert for Kumaon division. The officials also added that the western disturbance is likely to get weaker by Wednesday bringing some respite.
Scary visuals of broken roads, landslide debris and animals trying to make their way through the flooded plains kept pouring in from rain-affected parts of the state.
Meanwhile, the state capital Dehradun is seeing clear skies with bright sunshine.
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