Rishikesh-Badrinath NH 58 closed due to landslides

The Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway 58 was on Friday closed near Tota Ghati in Uttarakhand due to landslides.

The landslide occurred in Tota Ghati, Mulya village, Brahmpuri villages.

Earlier in the day, the Gangotri highway (NH-108) near Laldhang and Chadethi was was also closed for traffic.

Torrential rains for the past few days have wreaked havoc in the state with reports of five persons' death on Friday. While in Dehradun district four people were injured after a house in Vikasnagar collapsed following heavy showers on Thursday.

Reports of building collapses are pouring in from at least two districts. Water from an overflowing rain-fed Paniala Gadar entered many houses and washed away some people in the area.

National Disaster Response Force teams were rushed to the area to evacuate those still trapped in the gushing waters and the houses.

In Kotdwar in Pauri district, the deceased were identified as Lakshya Arora, Jyoti Arora, Shanti Devi and Ajit Kumar, who were killed after their house in Refugee Colony was hit by a flash flood triggered by excessive rainfall.

The torrential downpour also led to leak of electricity in Refugee Colony, leading to short-circuit at some places.

Other parts of Uttarakhand like Dehradun and Rishikesh also witnessed rains, with the Regional Met Office warning of very heavy rains on Saturday.