U'khand: three killed in collapse

Three persons were killed in a house collapse while thousands of Char Dham pilgrims were stranded on Gangotri and Yamunotri routes, as incessant overnight showers across Uttarakhand caused landslips in Uttarkashi and swelled rivers.

A house caved in this morning in Prem Nagar area due to heavy rains, a senior police official said, adding a 30-year-old man, his 26 year-old wife and 10 year-old child were badly injured. The victims were rushed to a nearby hospital where they succumbed to their injuries, the official said. Meanwhile, thousands of pilgrims headed for the Himalayan shrines of Gangotri and Yamunotri got stranded as the routes were closed due to landslips at various points including Piapalmandi, Baraki and Nalupani. Hotels and dharamshalas in Uttarkashi district are bursting at the seams with char dham yatris occupying their lounges due to non-availability of rooms.

A house was swept away at Kharadi by the swirling water of the Yamuna which has submerged the route leading to Yamunotri at Fedi, Chami and Yamuna bridge. However, no one was injured in the house collapse at Kharadi as the family had evacuated it in anticipation, district authorities in Uttarkashi said. Ganeshpur Road and Digla Pul near Sangam Chatti on Gangotri route were also swept away by the flash-flood in Assiganga. State Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Minister Yashpal Arya said the administration is fully on the alert to deal with any emergency. Stranded pilgrims and people living in areas close to the rivers in spate like the Ganga and Bhagirathi are being evacuated to safer places, he said.

The BRO is also busy repairing the roads damaged by rains, Arya said. Dehradun received maximum 220mm of rainfall followed by Uttarakashi (129mm), Tehri (122mm) and Haridwar (107mm), the MeT office here said.