DEHRADUN: Relentless rainfall has wreaked havoc across the hilly districts of Uttarakhand for the past two days, triggering landslides, flash floods and disrupting normal life.
Chamoli district bore the brunt as reports emerged of a cloudburst near Nandprayag, while a tragic lightning strike claimed the life of a man in Udham Singh Nagar.
"Our team is on the ground and assessing the situation near Nandprayag following reports of a cloudburst," Chamoli Police stated in a post on X. While initial reports are still coming in, police confirmed that there have been no immediate reports of casualties from the cloudburst.
In a heart-wrenching incident in the Nanakmatta area of Udham Singh Nagar district, a 40-year-old man was killed by a lightning strike. Arjun Singh, a resident of Kaundakheda village, had gone missing on Thursday morning after leaving his home. His charred body was discovered near a water tank in Sunkhari
Kalan village on Thursday evening after concerned family members initiated a search when he failed to return home by afternoon.
"His burnt body was found near the water tank around 5 PM by villagers who were assisting in the search," a local resident reported.
The persistent heavy rainfall has caused significant damage across Uttarakhand's mountainous terrain. District Disaster Management Officer of Chamoli,
Nandkishore Joshi, detailed the extent of damage in the Tharali area. "Tharali has also suffered considerable damage due to the heavy rains. The mountain stream near Ramlila Maidan overflowed, bringing down a large volume of debris from the hillside."
Joshi further added, "Two vehicles were buried under the debris, and the National Highway was blocked. However, teams from the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) have successfully cleared the highway and it is now open."
Rudraprayag district was also severely impacted by the downpour on Thursday.
The Kedarnath Valley witnessed a surge in water levels of seasonal rivers and streams, causing widespread damage. The crucial Kedarnath Highway has also been closed due to landslides and overflowing rivers, further exacerbating the situation for pilgrims and local residents alike.
Authorities are on high alert and disaster management teams are working to assess the full extent of the damage and provide necessary assistance to affected areas.